Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Peter Brötzmann Octet – Machine Gun (Alternate Takes) TROST RECORDS 2018


First time issued on vinyl: alternate takes from the essential "Machine Gun" album on Brotzmann's BRO label in 1968, aggressive but astute music from now-legendary players Brotzmann, Evan Parker & Gerd Dudek on tenor sax (Brotzmann doubles on baritone sax), Peter Kowald on bass, Fred Van Hove on piano, Buschi Niebergall on bass, and two drummers - Han Bennink & Sven-Ake Johansson.

"Alternate versions, never before released on vinyl from Peter Brotzmann Octet's Machine Gun (1968)."-Cien Fuegos

"The Tet Offensive. The Democratic National Convention In Chicago. The MLK and RFK assasinations. And if 1968 wasn't violent enough, West German avant garde tenorman Peter Brötzmann unleashed Machine Gun unto the world.

Unhinged, utterly devoid of subtlety. In your face. Of all the entries that may follow in my Whack Jazz series, none will be as extreme an expression of free jazz as this one, John Zorn's Naked City with Yamatsuka Eye notwithstanding.

Major eruptions are followed by minor ones. Occasional rat-a-tat-tats on the drums by Han Bennink for the various takes of the title song is a simple reminder of the theme. The other saxophonists Willem Breuker and Evan Parker join PB for some impromtu faux choruses but despite everyone blowing at their hardest, Brötzmann's tenor always manages to rise above the chaos; the man has steel lungs. Pianist Fred Van Hove is barely audible most of the time and even having two bassists...Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall...doesn't make for a consistently strong presence on the low end, either, although where they are heard, they make the most of the opportunity. Just as the alert ear can begin to pick up some semblance of a simple melody rising from the chaos, the ensemble blows it up into total disintegration, as if to be playing an evil game of creating enemies for the pleasure of cutting them down; an influence of the then-living Albert Ayler.

Virtually all the players on this record were at the beginning of their careers and have since become some pretty significant jazz players in Europe and the world. Bennink himself will merit his own entry on this blog one day.

So while it's pretty cool to say that Peter Brötzmann is a favorite tenor player of the former Leader Of The Free World, it's even more cool to explore his music and discover how he's become such a giant in both European jazz and free jazz. Machine Gun is where the greatness begins."-S. Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews (originally published in Whack Jazz)

Peter Brötzmann: baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Peter Kowald: acoustic bass
Buschi Niebergall: acoustic bass
Sven-Ake Johansson: drums
Han Bennink: drums
Fred Van Hove: piano
Evan Parker: tenor saxophone
Willem Breuker: tenor saxophone

SIDE A
1. Machine Gun (Second Take)

SIDE B
1. Responsible / For Jan Van De Ven (First Take)

Waajeed (feat. Ideeyah) - Strength EP (DIRT TECH RECK 2018)


Waajeed is proud to present ‘Strength’, a cathartic EP due September 14th on his own imprint, DIRT TECK RECK For this four-track package he’s enrolled three Detroit natives to collaborate; Ideeyah provides soulful vocals whilst Jon Dixon and Jay Daniel offers two diverse remixes. A Detroit dream team, if you will. 

Title track is a radiant, melodic groover that looks to the sky for inspiration. Ideeyah’s lyrics battle with self-doubt, searching for solace in the harmonies around them, yet her vocals exude pure power. For his own ‘String Mix’, Waajeed elevates the delicate sentiment of the original to a sun-drenched dose of uplifting house. 

Watusi High label boss Jay Daniel sculpts a half-time stepper for his remix, slowing things down to wander amidst glitchy cascades and soothing pads. Closing off the EP, multi-instrumentalist Jon Dixon - who has played alongside many Detroit legends - reformulates the framework of the original, applying subtle alterations and extended melodic jams to a stripped back roller. 

Additionally, Waajeed will perform across 16 dates for an extended tour between August and October this year, including shows at the legendary Sub Club in Glasgow and Movement Festival Torino. 


Red Bull Music Academy Radio "My new favorite person in the world"

Vice/ Thump "Heck Yeah. Thank you"

Falty DL "Waajeed is on a tear at the moment! Big up."

Tsugi Radio "Tsugi Radio loves it"

Gilles Peterson "Big Big respects"

Produced by Waajeed, Jay Daniel and Jon Dixon.
Written by Ideeyah.

1. Strength feat. Ideeyah (Original Mix) 06:56
2. Strength feat. Ideeyah (Waajeed's String Mix) 05:58
3. Strength feat. Ideeyah (Jay Daniel Remix) 04:43
4. Strength feat. Ideeyah (Jon Dixon Remix) 08:07

Brötzmann / Leigh - Sparrow Nights (TROST RECORDS November 2, 2018)


Recorded this year in Vienna with Martin Siewert

First studio album from the furious duo of pedal Heather Leigh and reedist Peter Brötzmann.

The collaboration quickly gained a well earned reputation for their cutting edge music and frenetic but sensuous playing.

Peter Brötzmann - b-flat/bass/contra-alto clarinet, alto/tenor/bass saxophone 
Heather Leigh - pedal steel guitar

Recorded in Vienna in the studio of Martin Siewert 
Mastered by Martin Siewert 
Published by Cien Fuegos 
Artwork by Peter Brötzmann 
Foto by Ziga Koritnik

1. Summer Rain
2. This Word Love
3. It's Almost Dark
4. Sparrow Nights
5. This Time Around
6. River Of Sorrow
7. At First Sight
8. All Of Us
9. My Empty Heart
10. The Longer We're Apart

FULL BLAST - Live in Rio (TROST RECORDS October 5, 2018)


With all the projects Peter Brötzmann is currently working on, FULL BLAST - with the precise and dynamic swiss rhythm-section Pliakas/Wertmüller - is the most consistent, the longest running.


Peter Brötzmann: reeds
Marino Pliakas: e-bass
Michael Wertmüller: drums

1. Rio one
2. Rio two
3. Rio three
4. Rio four
5. Rio five

Live at at Audio Rebel, Rio, Brazil - 17.7.2016 

Released in cooperation with Brasil label QTV

Recording engineer: Pedro Azevedo, João Paulo “Binos” Franklin 
Pre-mix: João Paulo “Binos” Franklin 
Mix and master: Martin Siewert 
Artwork: Brötzmann

BROM - Sunstroke (TROST RECORDS October 5, 2018)


New Band from Moscow - BROM

Super-tight and intense power trio BROM genuinely push into crossing over improv, noise rock and free jazz with their forthcomong release SUNSTROKE.

One the most amazing mixes of musical elements I have heard in a long freakin' time
- extensive linernotes by Mats Gustafsson

Saxophone – Anton Ponomarev
Bass Guitar – Dmitry Lapshin
Drums – Yaroslav Kurilo

1. Plunge into an Ice Hole
2. Tuna
3. Sunstroke
4. Queue
5. Urtica
6. Hematoma
7. Mingus 30°C
8. (hidden track)

Hermann Nitsch - Musik der 135. Aktion 2CD (TROST RECORDS 2018)


Recorded in 2012, Musik der 135.Aktion Kuba captures the controversial performance from Herman Nitsch's Orgien Mysterien Theater (Orgies Mysteries Theatre) as part of the Havana Biennial art exhibition. For more than fifty years Nitsch has been an influential and striking figure of Austrian art - In his Orgien Mysterien Theater he uses actors, blood, animal bodies and entrails, fruits, symbolic crucifixion, music, processions and ritualistic gestures to enact a new form of Gesamtkunstwerk: pagan ceremonies that aim to a kind of collective catharsis. "Dionysos gegen den Gekreuzigten" (Dinoysus against Christ Crucified") was performed by 150 musicians and 30 actors, including the University’s Symphony Orchestra ISA and the artist himself, celebrating Afro-Cuban rituals and ceremonies.

“I want to make people more intensive. I try to show the people how it’s possible to live intensively”
Hermann Nitsch, Dark Mofo Festival 2017.

Music of the 135th action, 14. May 2012 
"Die Geburt des Dionysus"
performed as part of XI Bienal de la Habana
at Campus of the Universidad Cubana de las Artes.Havana, Cuba

Music: Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad ISA,
of Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana
150 musicians

1. A1 13:32
2. A2 06:16
3. A3 13:01
4. A4 05:39
5. A5 04:09
6. A6 08:44

7. B1 20:26
8. B2 16:48
9. B3 07:17
10. B4 04:05
11. B5 06:13
12. B6 06:50
13. B7 05:52

Akira Sakata - Fisherman's.com (TROST RECORDS 2018)


We are happy to announce the unearthing of another gem of Japanese jazz maestro Akira Sakata, together with Laswell, Drake and Cosey!

Fisherman’s.com was released originally on CD, Japan-only, by Starlets Records in 2001 – now for the first time on vinyl and available worldwide.   Fisherman’s.com is Sakata’s ode to folksongs of the sea - an intense personal statement on the fluidity of tradition.

Alto Saxophone, Vocals, Synth – Akira Sakata
Bass – Bill Laswell
Drums, Congas – Hamid Drake
Guitar – Pete Cosey

1. Kaigara-Bushi 14:44
2. Ondo No Hunauta 09:51
3. Saitaro-Bushi 08:27
4. Wakare No Ipponsugi 14:12

Recorded and mixed at Orange Music Sound Studio, New Jersey, October 17-19, 2000. 
Mastered October 21, 2000 at Turtletone Studio 
Vinyl-remastering by Martin Siewert

Elisabeth Harnik & Joëlle Léandre – Tender Music (TROST RECORDS 2018)


That’s another one great avant-garde jazz album, which was recorded by a duo – Elisabeth Harnik (piano) and Joelle Leandre (bass). These two avant-garde jazz musicians are famous and active members of contemporary avant-garde jazz scene. Both of them have interesting, specific and unique playing style, which is based on colorful musical language, expressive and sudden stylistic turns and huge amount of different musical expressions. Elisabeth Harnik and Joelle Leandre are experienced and creative improvisers – both of them had improvised together with many other famous jazz masters. Avant-garde jazz, bebop, post-bop, hard-bop, experimental music, soft intonations of academic avant-garde and contemporary academical music – all these elements are gently synthesized together in one place.

Creative and fascinating sound experiments, impressive and original musical decisions, rich, evocative and expressive musical language, vivacious, energetic and free improvisations, filled with spontaneous and rapid solos – all these elements are the basics of their improvisations. This album is a great opportunity to hear two outstanding jazz masters playing together.

“Tender Music” has evocative, innovative and interesting sound. The improvisations are always changing, they are based on many different styles, manners, expressions and the opposite episodes, which are highly contrasting with each other. Both musicians are improvising masterfully and splendidly – they fuse together colorful and sudden stylistic twists, expressive and spontaneous solos, rapid and acitve collective improvisations, subtle and abstract pieces, turbulent and dramatic culminations and many other elements. Elisabeth Harnik piano improvisations are based on contrasts and unusual musical decisions. Different moods, expressions, characters and other elements of musical language are connected in her improvisations. Piano improvisations are especially expressive, free, spontaneous, creative and vivacious.

Rapid, wild fast and furious solos, harsh and loud separate dissonances, virtuosic and rapid passages, passionate and touching solos, vivacious and playful or very rigorous and sharp episodes – Elisabeth Harnik really knows how to connect all these contrasting music elements in effective and passionate way. Her playing is always balancing between various playing techniques, specific manners and expressions. Rapid, sharp and dynamic solos, which are based on bebop and hard-bop finally grow to dramatic, loud, powerful and vibrant collective improvisations with spontaneeous, expressive and emotional solos.

Her music is balancing somewhere between expressive, playful, joyful and energetic improvisations and abstract, subtle and silent improvisations. Joelle Leandre bass improvisations also is the set of experimental playing techniques, various moods, emotions and chords, special effects, unusual timbres, strange sounds and evocative musical decisions. She can silmunateously use various and experimental ways of playing – huge range of experimental and extraordinary playing techniques are gently connected together with pizzicatto, glissando, portato and many others traditional and very well-known ways of playing. Her playing also is very colorful and contrasting – from the silent, meditative, nostalgic and soft sound this music suddenly gets to dramatic, rapid, vibrant, deep and dynamic solos. Passionate and expressive melodies are conected together dynamic rhythmic and harmony. Rich, colorful and impressive improvising, passionate solos, masterful and creative jazz masters, evocative musical language – all these elements make an effort to interesting and innovative sound.

Elisabeth Harnik - piano
Joëlle Léandre - bass

Mastered - Jean Marc Foussat
Artwork - Lasse Marhaug
Linernotes - Ken Vandermark

1 Ear Area I
2 Ear Area II
3 Ear Area I
4 Ear Area IV
5 Ear Area V
6 Ear Area VI

Rodrigo Amado (Joe Mcphee / Kent Kessler / Chris Corsano) - A History of Nothing (TROST RECORDS 2018)


"We have to start all over again, once more, and start from what is near, from what is below, on the ground. It's much more a process drawn from biological and animal issues, from survival, from fear, from pleasure, from primal concerns."
- José Mário Branco

Rodrigo Amado - tenor saxophone
Joe McPhee - pocket trumpet, soprano saxophone
Kent Kessler - double bass
Chris Corsano - drums

1. Legacies 06:21
2. A History of Nothing 11:17
3. Theory of Mind 12:15
4. Wild Flowers 10:05
5. The Hidden Desert 11:25

ZU & Mats Gustafsson - How to Raise an Ox (TROST RECORDS 2018)

Trost presents the first vinyl edition of How To Raise An Ox by Zu and Mats Gustafsson. Initially released on CD in 2005 by Atavistic. Features new cover artwork. Long-running intense jazz/noise-core band Zu from Italy teams up with Viking-saxophonist extraordinaire Gustafsson (The Thing, Fire!). Mastering by Andy Moor (The Ex) and Colin McLean.

1. Over a Furnace 01:46
2. How to Raise an Ox 06:56
3. Eating the Landscape 04:17
4. The King Devours his Sons 07:21
5. Bring the War back Home 01:57
6. Meat Eater, Solar Bird 06:13
7. Palace of Reptiles 03:02
8. Beasts only Die to be Born 04:06
9. The Tiger Teaches the Lamb 04:50

Luca Tommaso Mai - baritone saxophone
Mats Gustafsson - baritone saxophone
Massimo Pupillo - bass
Jacopo Battaglia - drums

Mastered by Andy Moor
Remastered by Lorenzo Stecconi
Artwork by Scarful

Live: THE THING | Ronnie Scotts | 21st October 2018





MATS GUSTAFSSON tenor, soprano saxophone
INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN double and el. bass
PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE drums


Mixing jazz with noise, avant-rock and punk, the music of The Thing has been described as ‘garage-jazz’ and ‘impro-punk’. The band, from Norway and Sweden, was established early 2000 and has grown into one of the most successful and hardest working free jazz trio’s around, traveling all over the world. They have performed with guests such as Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Otomo Yoshihide, Jim O’Rourke, Thurston Moore, Terrie Ex, Peter Evans, Neneh Cherry and James ‘Blood’ Ulmer.


Jazz Congress to convene Jan. 7-8 in NYC


1st Round of Speakers and Panels Announced

George Wein | Toshiko Akiyoshi | Sherrie Maricle | Wynton Marsalis | Christian McBride | Maria Schneider

Additional Speakers from: Capacity Interactive | Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at NYU | DL Media | Duke Presents | Jazz at Lincoln Center | Jazz Night in America | JazzWeek | Monterey Jazz Festival | Newport Jazz Festival | Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society | OKeh/Sony Music | NPR | Tri-C Jazz Fest Cleveland | WBGO

Panel topics to include:

- Institutions in Transition: Newport Jazz Festival
- Strategic Partnership in Practice: Jazz Night in America
- Jazz, Swing, Race, and Culture
- Jazz Between the Coasts
- Women Big Band Leaders Roundtable: Presented by The National Endowment for the Arts
- Jazz in Troubled Times
- What’s that Sound? An Audio Recording Masterclass
- Making Engaging Videos
- Your Five Digital Priorities: A Marketing Masterclass
- Jazz Education Online
- Jazz Industry 101

Visit JazzCongress.org for more details

Register Now


We are also pleased to announce the formation of an Advisory Board which serves to give input and guidance to the Jazz Congress programming team.

Jazz Congress Advisory Board:
Gene Dobbs Bradford, Jazz St. Louis
Terri Lyne Carrington, musician, educator, and 2018 Lundvall Award Winner
Tim Jackson, Monterey Jazz Festival
Karen Kennedy, 24 Seven Artist Development
Don Lucoff, DL Media
Katie Simon, Jazz Night in America/WBGO
Denny Stilwell, Mack Avenue Records
Rodney Whitaker, musician & educator


Co-presented by JazzTimes and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Congress is the gathering for the jazz community and industry.

The Details

The second annual Jazz Congress will take place on January 7 & 8, 2019 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, located at Broadway at 60th Street, New York, New York. Want to let others know you're coming? RSVP to our Facebook event and like our Facebook page to stay up-to-date as we announce special guests and panels!

Registration Rates and Dates:

Early Bird Registration : 
August 1 – September 20, 2018
$125 (Two Day Pass)

Priority Registration: 
September 21 – October 31, 2018      
Two Day Pass: $175
Single Day Pass: $125 

Regular Registration: 
November 1 – December 31, 2018 
Two Day Pass: $200
Single Day Pass: $150

Week-of Registration: 
January 1 – 8, 2019Two Day Pass: $250 

Single Day Pass: $200


Student Tickets:  

Students receive a 50% discount on registration. Email us with a copy of your valid student ID and provide your expected graduation date to receive access to this discount. 

Partner Discounts: 

A full list of partners is available on our website. Partners offer their constituents a 15% off discount code.


Special accommodation rates for 2019 Jazz Congress attendees, starting at $100, are available at the Hudson Hotel New York, located a two-minute walk from the conference venue, at 358 W. 58th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. The special rates are applicable for January 3 –  10, 2019 and must be booked by December 15, 2018.

Reservations can be made by calling (702) 577-2830 or toll-free (800) 606-6090. Attendees should request Hudson Hotel New York reservations for the group name “Jazz Congress.” The group code is JA0319. Click here to make a reservation online.

About Jazz Congress: 

Jazz Congress brings together members of the global jazz community to network, as well as grow the audience for the music. The annual gathering also seeks to nurture businesses and organizations that promote, produce, present, market, and support jazz.

The inaugural Jazz Congress, co-produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and JazzTimes, was held in 2018 and drew more than 800 attendees from around the world. More than 150 performers, panelists, and speakers participated in performances, workshops, and 30 panel discussions on topics including Jazz and Race, Gender and Jazz, Learning from Large Jazz Organizations, Why Performance Matters: Stagecraft Masterclass, Jazz in Film and TV Soundtracks, and more. The 2018 keynote address was delivered by NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and The Bruce Lundvall Award was presented to Terri Lyne Carrington.

Jazz Congress is sponsored by Adam R. Rose.