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The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet's 10 Day, 10th Anniversary Celebration |
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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Thursday, 22 November 2007 |
 Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet © Ziga Koritnik
Peter Brötzmann has led a number of internationally renowned, large group improvising ensembles since the late 1960s. The Chicago Tentet, is one of his best. First organized in that city during January of 1997, the band has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe in the last decade, and has released nine albums containing a huge variety of music. In 2007, the ensemble celebrates its ten years of work together with a tour in Europe during June, a festival performance in Molde, Norway, in July and an engagement (their only North American appearance) in Chicago, at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
 Peter Brötzmann © Bryan Acker
The Chicago Tentet is a veritable "Who's Who" of contemporary improvised music and includes many of the most significant members from that scene's cutting edge. Since its inception, the group has had a rotating line-up and past versions of the band have included William Parker (bass), Toshinori Kondo (trumpet/electronics), Roy Campbell (trumpet), and Mike Pearson (a renowned actor, who participated in a special project integrating Brötzmann's music and the texts of Kenneth Patchen for the Chicago Humanities Festival in 2004). All of the musicians connected to the ensemble, past and present, have contributed their distinctive voices to the group, making each concert appearance of the Tentet a truly exceptional experience. For the concert schedule in 2007, the group's size will be expanded to include both Johannes Bauer and Jeb Bishop on trombone.
Though the Tentet is clearly directed by Brötzmann and guided by his aesthetics, since the band's outset he has been committed to utilizing the ideas of everyone involved. Initially, this meant allowing the other musicians to contribute their compositions; since 2005, however, the ensemble has been a total improvisation unit, foregoing scores in order to explore their music with complete spontaneity. This shift in approach has allowed the group to explore an outstanding range of material, and the Tentet employs almost every organizational strategy available to an improvising ensemble while developing their music for each concert. The scope of conception, plus the diversity in each individual's approach to playing, has helped the band to cultivate an extremely multifaceted performance style. As the Tentet improvises from moment to moment, it can explore musical intensities that move from spare introspection to raging walls of sound, using open-ended rhythms or those of a hard-hitting groove.
Since the late 1990s, the main work of the band has been done in concerts on the road. Though the economics of sustaining a large ensemble are a struggle, the Chicago Tentet has continued to find innovative ways to keep performing their music for audiences around the world. Through this ongoing effort they've been able to advance a sound and depth of communication impossible to find in any other contemporary music group, no matter what size or style.
The current lineup of the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet includes Peter Brötzmann (Germany), Johannes Bauer (Germany), Jeb Bishop (Chicago), Mats Gustafsson (Sweden), Per-Ĺke Holmlander (Sweden), Kent Kessler (Chicago), Fred Lonberg-Holm (Chicago), Joe McPhee (New York), Paal Nilssen-Love (Norway), Ken Vandermark (Chicago), and Michael Zerang (Chicago).
Nov 28 | Brötzmann/Lonberg-Holm Duo Peter Brötzmann © Bryan Acker The first-time duo encounter between long-term collaborators and two of the most respected musicans working today, in any field. Total improvisation at its best. The duo plays at 9:30PM on Wednesday, November 28 at the Hideout. Nov 28 | The Thing, with Ken Vandermark This quartet version of the Scandinavian group (Mats Gustafsson, Ingebrigt Hĺker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ken Vandermark) has only played in the U.S. once before, at the Immediate Sound Series' first anniversary weekend in April. That concert was recorded and was so burning that it is now being released on the Norwegian label smalltownsuperjazz. This is the cd release show for that album and motivation is high. The Thing + Ken Vandermark play at 9:30PM on Wednesday, November 28 at the Hideout. Nov 29 | Brötzmann/McPhee Duo This gig celebrates the 30th anniversary of Brötzmann and McPhee's first encounter, in Paris during October of 1977—Peter with Han Bennink and Joe played solo. Their encore statement during the Tentet's Victoriaville gig in 2004 was stunning; here is a chance to hear them for a full set. The duo plays at 10:00PM on Thursday, November 29 at Elastic. Nov 29 | Brötzmann/Hĺker Flaten/Nilssen-Love Trio One of the best rhythm sections in contemporary music meets one of the great artistic forces of our time—nothing else needs to be said. The trio plays at 10:00PM on Thursday, November 29 at Elastic. Dec 1 | The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet Peter Brötzmann, Johannes Bauer, Jeb Bishop, Mats Gustafsson, Per-Ĺke Holmlander, Kent Kessler, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe McPhee, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ken Vandermark, Michael Zerang: after a decade, this ensemble continues to challenge each other, listeners, and the boundaries of creative music. Their only performance in North America this year brings them back to the city where it all began. The tentet plays at 9:00PM on Saturday, December 1 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Dec 2 | Trombone Choir Johannes Bauer, Jeb Bishop, Per-Ĺke Holmlander, Joe McPhee: a first-time encounter inspired by the extraordinary moments when this instrumentation came together during European performances over the last year. Beautiful sparks will fly. The Trombone Choir plays at 10:00PM on Sunday, December 2 at the Hungry Brain. Dec 2 | Bishop/Brötzmann/Daisy/Kessler/Hĺker Flaten/Rosaly Sextet A repeat performance by a lineup which, by all accounts, was mindblowing. Not to be missed. The sextet plays at 10:00PM on Sunday, December 2 at the Hungry Brain. Dec 4 | Nilssen-Love/Zerang Duo Ever since Paal Nilssen-Love replaced drummer Hamid Drake in the Brötzmann Tentet, Zerang and Nilssen-Love have been developing a unique vocabulary together in that context. Central figures from the scenes in Oslo and Chicago collide in another first-time performance for the anniversary series. The duo plays at 10PM on Tuesday, December 4 at Elastic. Dec 4 | Bauer/Holmlander/Kessler/Lonberg-Holm Quartet The second new constellation of the evening, strings and brass in full-tilt improvisational mode. The quartet plays at 10PM on Tuesday, December 4 at Elastic. Dec 5 | Sonore Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark: for their first performance after a short tour in Europe, this reed trio should be in high gear, continuing to redefine the parameters of their instruments and improvised structure. Sonore plays at 9:30PM on Wednesday, December 5 at the Hideout. Dec 5 | Survival Unit III The trio of Joe McPhee, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Michael Zerang has been perfoming together for the past three years under the name Survival Unit III. They have done two European tours and performed a few times in the USA. They have recently released a live concert recording from Florence, Italy from 2006 called Don't Postpone Joy on the Italian RAITRADE label. This year's performance marks their first Chicago appearance— a rare chance to see the musicians work together as a trio in the United States. In a word, extraordinary. Survival Unit III plays at 9:30PM on Wednesday, December 5 at The Hideout. Dec 6 | Brötzmann/Zerang Duo Michael Zerang first played with Peter Brötzmann in Chicago in 1995 in a trio along with master percussionist Hamid Drake. Ever since then, Zerang has been a member of the Tentet, a Quartet with McPhee and Kessler, and various small one-off projects with Brötzmann. In July 2005, Zerang was invited to perform in Beirut, Lebanon and asked Brötzmann to join him. The resulting duo performance was released on the Lebanese label Al Maslehk and called Brötzmann/Zerang Live in Beirut - 2005. The duo plays at 10PM on Thursday, December 6 at Elastic. Dec 6 | Bishop/Holmlander/Nilssen-Love/Vandermark Quartet There is a lot of history here—work by bands like School Days and the Territory Band quickly come to mind—but this is the only time these four musicians have worked together as a quartet. It is time again for something special. The quartet plays at 10:00PM on Thursday, December 6 2007 at Elastic. Dec 7 | Brötzmann/Gustafsson/Nilssen-Love Trio They have a record that is soon to be released, but here is a chance to see the lineup live. Ferocious beauty. The trio plays at 9:30PM on Friday, December 7 at The Hideout. Dec 7 | Brötzmann/Kessler/McPhee/Zerang Quartet There is no better way to close out the 10th anniversary celebration of the Chicago Tentet than by presenting one of the best quartets working today. This quartet has been active since 2005 after the release of Tales out of Time on the HatART label—an exploration of the ballad form with original compositions by Brötzmann, McPhee and Zerang. In many ways, the standards of creativity presented by the Tentet are defined by this combo. Here is a unique chance to experience that intensity up close and personal. The quartet plays at 9:30PM on Friday, December 7 at The Hideout. And visit www.tentet.umbrellamusic.org for information on additional Chicago performances in November and December by members of the Tentet sponsored by Umbrella Music. |
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 Monday, 13 October 2008
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