When this session was done, everyone needed a shower. There's no doubt about that. The
Living Music lives and breathes at such a high level of intensity (and coherence) that it must
have brought these seven European free improvisers to sheer exhaustion that long, productive
afternoon almost exactly 24 years ago in Köln. But there's a strong sense about this record--now in
its third release--that things fit where they belong.
Belonging is a relative concept, of course, and when free spirits fly together, they nudge and
jostle enough to make order an impossibility. A few hints appear here and there, compositional
aspects of these pieces that allude to formal structure. Manfred Schoof's pieces "Wave"
and "Past
Time" are remarkable in this regard. The leader's "Into the Staggerin" dwells briefly
on a warm, full-
bodied group theme before it swings off into the abyss. Drummer Han Bennink, omnipresent on the
record, gets a rare opportunity to ride the beat, implying broken triplets on the cymbals while he
engages in a little Max Roach action on the snare.
But not for long, because Peter Brötzmann gets his noodle in the horn and starts blowing so
hard you think his brain is going to explode. (Yes, typical behavior at the time. Apparently his skull
was very thick.) Little punchy rifflets, overblown and sharp, along with some unknown human voice
howling strangely in the background. After two and a half minutes, the band stops playing
completely while Brotzmann plateaus. Not content with one simple orgasm, he pauses only a
moment before shooting off again. Riffing in pulse-like fashion, he hits the sky and falls back to
earth. Seconds after the piece is over, we're all back on the horse again and the full unit comes
back into play.
Schlippenbach seems content to play more of a catalytic, egalitarian role in the group, rather
than riding out front on his instrument, though he's definitely not shy. He gets credit for half of these
compositions, two of which (the title track and "Tower") are gargantuan in scale. While
formal
organization helps ground the group now and then, these players clearly feel most comfortable in
the range where rules rarely apply, where the little children can come out and play. That means the
longer pieces tend to work the best. "Tower" in particular has a sprawling sense of
scale.
There's a strong vibe here of the European free big band tradition. Seven players, when they're
as forward as this group, pretty much comprise a big band anyway. It makes little sense to single
out individuals, except of course for Bennink (whose constant energy pulls everyone forward) and
Brötzmann (whose voice is so singularly emphatic that it's impossible to ignore). The rest form a
group, a like-minded collective that agrees to disagree.
Other than relatively minor dips in sound quality--it sounds like it was mastered off of vinyl--
there's very little wrong with The Living Music. Given the spontaneity and spark of the
assembled septet, that's a very small price to pay.
Visit www.atavistic.com.
~ Nils Jacobson
