Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet
The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet was a groundbreaking free jazz and avant-garde ensemble led by German saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, active from 1997 to 2011. This rotating collective brought together some of the most innovative improvisers from both the American and European experimental jazz scenes, creating a unique fusion of European free improvisation and American fire music. The core group featured Brötzmann on reeds, with Ken Vandermark on tenor sax and clarinet serving as primary composer and arranger. Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson contributed his signature brutal intensity on baritone and tenor saxes, while multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee provided melodic counterpoint on trumpet and soprano sax. The rhythm section typically included Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and electronics, Kent Kessler on double bass, and drummers Michael Zerang or Hamid Drake, with the latter’s polyrhythmic approach being particularly influential. The brass section was anchored by trombonists Johannes Bauer (until his death in 2005) and Jeb Bishop.
Over its fourteen-year existence, the Tentet also incorporated notable guest musicians including Japanese trumpeter Toshinori Kondo (featured prominently on their 2000 album “Stone/Water”), Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love (who became more involved in later years), bassist William Parker (occasionally substituting for Kessler), and tuba player Per-Åke Holmlander who expanded the group’s low-end possibilities. The ensemble was known for its volcanic energy and dense textures, balancing radical freedom with surprising moments of structure. After disbanding in 2011, Brötzmann focused on smaller group configurations, while former members like Vandermark and Gustafsson continued to explore similar territories in their own projects, ensuring the Tentet’s influential approach to large-ensemble free improvisation continued to evolve.
Walk, Love, Sleep
Walk, Love, Sleep
“This music was recorded live Cafe Ada, in Wuppertal, Germany on April 11, 2011. This collection includes three lengthy improvisations over the course of two compact discs. “To Walk In” is a massive slab of music clocking in at forty-four minutes. The centerpiece of “To Love In” comes about halfway in, a torrid section of free improvisation that becomes nearly hallucinatory in its intensity. It seems unreal that such a potentially unwieldy group can play so loud, and so fast, developing into a near state of ecstasy. Finally “To Sleep In” consolidates all of the music played during the evening, allowing the musicians to celebrate their achievements in a humble and thoughtful way.”
—
Recorded live on the 22nd of April 2011 at Café Ada, Wuppertal Germany.
Alto Saxophone, Pocket Trumpet – Joe McPhee
Cello, Electronics – Fred Lonberg-Holm
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ken Vandermark
Double Bass – Kent Kessler
Drums – Michael Zerang, Paal Nilssen-Love
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
Trombone – Jeb Bishop, Johannes Bauer
Tuba – Per Åke Holmlander
Tárogató, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Peter Brötzmann
The Chicago Octet / Tentet
The Chicago Octet / Tentet
“With a creative rhythm section anchoring and coloring the compositions, these brass- and woodwind-heavy outfits are simply amazing and, in some cases, nearly essential for fans of modern jazz.” —Joshua Klein, The Onion, 4-10 March 1999
“Should be fairly described as a landmark recording on several levels: a major documentation of Brötzmann on an American label, a rare instance of his large-group music, and a definitive meeting of himself with some of the many American masters –from McPhee to Vandermark– who’ve been influenced by him.” —Richard Cook & Brian Morton, The Penguin Guide to Jazz
—
Octet:
Peter Brötzmann: reeds & tarogato
Mars Williams: reeds
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Jeb Bishop: trombone
Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello
Kent Kessler: bass
Michael Zerang: drums & percussion
Hamid Drake: drums & percussion
Tentet:
Peter Brötzmann: tenor sax/clarinet/tarogato
Mars Williams: reeds
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone & fluteophone
Joe McPhee: pocket cornet, valve trombone & soprano saxophone
Jeb Bishop: trombone
Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello
Kent Kessler: bass
Michael Zerang: drums & percussion
Hamid Drake: drums & percussion
Engineered & mixed at Airwave Studio (9/16/97) Tentet & The Empty Bottle (1/29/97) Octet & (9/17/97) Tentet
Engineer and mix: John McCortney
Produced by: Peter Brötzmann, Bruno Johnson & John Corbett
Exec. Producer: Bruno Johnson
Design & Art by: Peter Brötzmann
Photos by: John Corbett
Additional Design & Production by: Louise Molnar
Stone/Water
Stone/Water
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album a full 4 stars, and stated: “For all the extraordinary volume on show, this is a remarkable feat of engineering and one that tends to suggest that Brötz has all too rarely had his music documented with this level of accuracy… This leaves the listener breathless.”
Writing for The New York Times, Ben Ratliff included the album in his “Critics’ Choices” column, and commented: “The greatest hope for free jazz is form. Not to worry: it won’t make cultural conservatives out of musicians like Mr. Brotzmann, the brilliant electronics-mad trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and the bassist William Parker. The structuring of this woolly music into contrasting sections and its double rhythmic kick from the drummers Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake provide the album’s power.”
Michael A. Parker of All About Jazz remarked: “this music reaches points of terrifying intensity at times, although it also balanced by a great deal of more subdued exploration. It seems to alternate between these extremes every few minutes or so, making for a very satisfying experience.”
JazzWord’s Ken Waxman called the album a “fine session,” and wrote: “with a veteran’s maturity, the saxophonist now knows exactly when to let ‘er rip and when to keep things on a quieter level.” However, he noted that “with nearly everyone allowed solo space, focus is sometimes lost.”
—
Peter Brötzmann – tenor saxophone, clarinet
Mats Gustafsson – tenor saxophone, flutophone
Ken Vandermark – tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Toshinori Kondo – trumpet, electronics
Jeb Bishop – trombone
Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello, violin
Kent Kessler – double bass
William Parker – double bass
Hamid Drake – drums, percussion
Michael Zerang – drums
Recorded in May 23, 1999, at the Festival de Musique de Actuelle Victoriaville, Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada.
Signs
Signs
A masterful statement from the Peter Brotzmann Tentet – a large group, but one that’s capable of a rich array of sounds and sentiments – maybe given best exposure here in this key recording from the prime years of the ensemble! Ten players can be a huge number, especially when improvising so much – but these guys all have ears that are beautifully tuned to each other, and which really seems to not only bring out the best in each member, but also push the whole group together with a style that none of them could have hit on their own. Reeds are handled by the heavyweight quartet of Brotzmann, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson, and Mars Williams – and other group members include Joe McPhee on trumpet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, and both Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums. Titles include “Bird Notes”, “Six Gun Territory”, and “Signs” – the last of which is live.
—
Joe McPhee — trumpet
Jeb Bishop — trombone
Ken Vandermark — tenor / baritone sax, b-flat-clarinet
Mats Gustafsson — tenor / baritone sax
Mars Williams — alto / tenor / sopranino sax
Peter Brötzmann — alto / tenor sax, a-clarinet, tarogato
Fred Lonberg-Holm — cello
Kent Kessler — bass
Michael Zerang — drums
Hamid Drake — drums
Six Gun Territory and Signs
Recorded at Airwave Studios / Chicago
17th and 18th of June 2002 by John McCortney
Images
Recorded at Vasteras Konserthus / Vasteras Sweden
3rd of November 2003 by Maurice Mogaard
Recording Producer: Lars-Göran Ulander Swedish Radio P2
Concert Produced by Lennart Nilsson / New Perspectives
Mastered by John McCourtney
Produced by Peter Brötzman / 19th of December 2003
Design: Brötzmann
Additional Design and Production: Louise Molnar
Executive Producer: Bruno Johnson
Short Visit To Nowhere
Short Visit To Nowhere
A set that’s a bit of a companion to the Brotzmann Chicago Tentet album Broken English – as it was recorded with the same lineup, on the same days – but a record that’s also got a very different vibe of its own, thanks to the never-ending imagination of all the members of the group! As on the afore-mentioned record, the group here is expanded by two key guests – bassist William Parker and trumpeter Roy Campbell – east coast heavyweights brought in to an already great lineup that features reeds from Peter Brotzmann, Mars Williams, Mats Gustafsson, and Ken Vandermark – plus Joe McPhee on trumpet and valve trombone, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Kent Kessler on bass, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and violin, and both Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums. Yet even with the two guests musicians, the Tentet manages to really feel the space around each individual musician in the lineup – working with amazing sensitivity, instead of overdone bombastic energy – creating sounds of chance and change on titles that include “Lightbox”, “Short Visit To Nowhere”, “Ellington”, and “Hold That Thought”
—
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Mars Williams
Bass – Kent Kessler
Bass, Slit Drum – William Parker
Cello, Violin – Fred Lonberg-Holm
Drums – Michael Zerang
Drums, Frame Drum, Vocals – Hamid Drake
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Ken Vandermark
Tenor Saxophone, Tárogató, Clarinet – Peter Brötzmann
Trombone – Jeb Bishop
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Roy Campbell
Trumpet, Valve Trombone – Joe McPhee
Recorded at Airwave Studios on July 3rd & 4th, 2000 in Chicago, IL. and mastered in December of 2001 by John McCortney.
Cover – Brötzm
Design – Louise Molnar
Executive-Producer – Bruno Johnson
Producer – Ken Vandermark, Peter Brötzmann
Images
Images
“A fantastic testament to the genius of the transatlantic meeting that is the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet – a group that manages to bridge the sometimes-unwieldy modes of the improvising orchestra, and the energy of a smaller free jazz combo! All the players seem tied together perfectly – both at an emotional level, and a musical one – so that the combination of energy is way more than the sum of its mighty parts – a real accomplishment, given that the “parts” include Ken Vandermark, Peter Brotzmann, Marts Gustafsson, and Mars Williams on reeds – plus Joe McPhee on trumpet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello, Kent Kessler on bass, and both Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake on drums. The set begins with a searing 37 minute piece dedicated to Robert Rauschenberg – Vandermark’s “All Things Being Equal”, which almost has a Mingus-like combination of structure and solo. “Images” follows, and is a more freewheeling piece – but completely wonderful too!”
—
Joe McPhee — trumpet
Jeb Bishop — trombone
Ken Vandermark — tenor / baritone sax, b-flat-clarinet
Mats Gustafsson — tenor / baritone sax
Mars Williams — alto / tenor / sopranino sax
Peter Brötzmann — alto / tenor sax, a-clarinet, tarogato
Fred Lonberg-Holm — cello
Kent Kessler — bass
Michael Zerang — drums
Hamid Drake — drums
All Things Being Equal
Recorded at Airwave Studios / Chicago
17th and 18th of June 2002 by John McCortney
Images
Recorded at Vasteras Konserthus / Vasteras Sweden
3rd of November 2003 by Maurice Mogaard
Recording Producer: Lars-Göran Ulander Swedish Radio P2
Concert Produced by Lennart Nilsson / New Perspectives
Mastered by John McCourtney
Produced by Peter Brötzman / 19th of December 2003
Executive Producer: Bruno Johnson
Design: Brötzmann
Additional Design and Production: Louise Molnar
Broken English
Broken English
There’s nothing broken about this set – as the album’s one of the strongest, most spiritual sessions we’ve ever heard from the Chicago Tentet of Peter Brotzmann – a really great group who gave us some amazing albums on the Okka Disk label! The set features two great guests – trumpeter Roy Campell and bassist William Parker – and at some level, the rest of the lineup seem to be opening up into modes that welcome the territory of both jazz giants – especially on the long first track, which is a very different reworking of a composition the group explored on another album! As usual, reedman Peter Brotzmann is at the helm – on tenor, alto clarinet, and tarogato – with Ken Vandermark, Mars Williams, and Mats Gustafsson on other reeds – plus Joe McPhee on trumpet and valve trombone, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and violin, Kent Kessler on bass, Michael Zerang on drums, and Hamid Drake on drums and frame drum, plus some great vocalizations. Titles include “Stonewater” and “Broken English”
—
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Mars Williams
Bass – Kent Kessler
Bass, Slit Drum – William Parker
Cello, Violin – Fred Lonberg-Holm
Drums – Michael Zerang
Drums, Frame Drum, Vocals – Hamid Drake
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Ken Vandermark
Tenor Saxophone, Tárogató, Clarinet – Peter Brötzmann
Trombone – Jeb Bishop
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Roy Campbell
Trumpet, Valve Trombone – Joe McPhee
Recorded at Airwave Studios on July 3rd & 4th, 2000 in Chicago, IL. and mastered in December of 2001 by John McCortney.
Cover – Brötzm
Design – Louise Molnar
Executive-Producer – Bruno Johnson
Producer – Ken Vandermark, Peter Brötzmann
Be Music, Night – A homage to Kenneth Patchen
Be Music, Night – A homage to Kenneth Patchen
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Mats Gustafsson
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet [B-flat] – Ken Vandermark
Bass – Kent Kessler
Bass Clarinet, Clarinet [B-flat], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Peter Brötzmann
Cello – Fred Lonberg-Holm
Drums – Michael Zerang, Paal Nilssen-Love
Trombone – Jeb Bishop
Trumpet, Alto Saxophone – Joe McPhee
Voice – Mike Pearson
Executive-Producer – Bruno Johnson
Co-Producer, Design – Brötzmann
Photography – André Lützen
Design – Louise Molnar
Recorded at Wall To Wall, Chicago, on November 5 and 6, 2004 and mixed at Semaphore, Chicago, on January 10 en 11, 2005 by Bob Weston, Peter Brötzmann & Ken Vandermark.
Mastered at John Golden Mastering.
At Molde 2007
At Molde 2007
“Logic might tell you that the more free jazz players you have in one spot, the greater the volume and intensity will be, but At Molde 2007 the Chicago Tentet turned in a textured performance that touches on the language of American jazz and European classical forms through the use of multilayered voices and nuanced interplay. In addition to the mainstays on the frontline (Brïtzmann, Ken Vandermark, Gustafsson, Joe McPhee), this edition of the Tentet features electro-cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, who along with bassist Kent Kessler does the work of a symphonic string section. The 40-minute “Ten by Ten” would be a satisfying album on its own, but at Molde the band played two more pieces, both nearly as expansive and spacious as the opener.” –All About Jazz
—
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet [Bb] – Peter Brötzmann
Baritone Saxophone, Saxophone [Slide] – Mats Gustafsson
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Ken Vandermark
Bass – Kent Kessler
Cello – Fred Lonberg-Holm
Drums – Paal Nilssen-Love
Percussion, Drums – Michael Zerang
Trombone – Johannes Bauer
Trumpet, Alto Saxophone – Joe McPhee
Tuba – Per Åke Holmlander
Recorded on 20 July 2007 in concert at Molde Jazzfestival, Norway by Thomas Hukkelberg.
Mixed and mastered September 2007 by Paal Nilssen-Love & Thomas Hukkelberg.
Design – Peter Brötzmann
Photography By – Ziga Koritnik
Producer – Bruno Johnson
Co-producer – Paal Nilssen-Love & Peter Brötzmann
Graphics – L.E. Molnar
American Landscapes 2
American Landscapes 2
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the albums a full 4 stars, and wrote: “There was a mass of good music from the Tentet, easily worthy of two volumes, and the addition of trombone… and tuba restores something of an earlier sound to Brötzmann’s ensemble-work.”
Critic Tom Hull assigned both volumes grades of “B+” and awarded them “honorable mentions” in his October 16, 2007, Village Voice column, commenting “Big birds have deep, rumbling hearts… which swell over time, pumping longer and louder.”
Mark Corroto of All About Jazz commented: “Brötzmann’s recent compositions allow for quiet resolutions and improvised interludes that pair players up… But always there is the power of the bigger group lurking. It bubbles up repeatedly, offering the crowd what they’ve come for. But tucked inside the thunder are composed lines that sway and sizzle.”
—
Peter Brötzmann – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, tárogató
Mats Gustafsson – baritone saxophone, slide saxophone
Ken Vandermark – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Joe McPhee – trumpet, alto saxophone
Johannes Bauer – trombone
Per-Ake Holmlander – tuba
Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello
Kent Kessler – double bass
William Parker – double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums
Michael Zerang – drums
Recorded on 28 May 2006 live at Le Weekend in the Tolbooth, Stirling, Scotland.
American Landscapes 1
American Landscapes 1
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the albums a full 4 stars, and wrote: “There was a mass of good music from the Tentet, easily worthy of two volumes, and the addition of trombone… and tuba restores something of an earlier sound to Brötzmann’s ensemble-work.”
Critic Tom Hull assigned both volumes grades of “B+” and awarded them “honorable mentions” in his October 16, 2007, Village Voice column, commenting “Big birds have deep, rumbling hearts… which swell over time, pumping longer and louder.”
Mark Corroto of All About Jazz commented: “Brötzmann’s recent compositions allow for quiet resolutions and improvised interludes that pair players up… But always there is the power of the bigger group lurking. It bubbles up repeatedly, offering the crowd what they’ve come for. But tucked inside the thunder are composed lines that sway and sizzle.”
—
Peter Brötzmann – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, tárogató
Mats Gustafsson – baritone saxophone, slide saxophone
Ken Vandermark – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
Joe McPhee – trumpet, alto saxophone
Johannes Bauer – trombone
Per-Ake Holmlander – tuba
Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello
Kent Kessler – double bass
William Parker – double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums
Michael Zerang – drums
Recorded on 28 May 2006 live at Le Weekend in the Tolbooth, Stirling, Scotland.
3 Nights in Oslo
3 Nights in Oslo
The Guardian’s John Fordham awarded the album a rare full five stars, describing it as “flat-out, no-prisoners, no-tunes free-jazz improvisation.” He commented: “Sometimes the group’s anthemic sax-choir sound suggests the roots of this approach in John Coltrane’s Ascension, but there are fascinating subgroups… It’s a virtuosic field day for free-jazz admirers with strong nerves.”
Lloyd N. Peterson Jr. of All About Jazz wrote: “there may not be a more creative group of artists anywhere within the boundaries of any art form than those within the Peter Brotzmann Tentet… these are individuals that comprehensively understand their responsibility to art and it is only through this level of integrity and creativity that art can, and will continue to move forward… It is a transcendent music for future generations but perhaps even more important, its brilliance personifies the humility and discovery of our artistic and spiritual realm of existence.”
The Free Jazz Collective’s Stef Gijssels called the band “the absolute crème-de-la-crème of today’s free jazz,” and described the music as “magnificent: wild, predictably unpredictable, raw, overwhelming, gargantuan, energetic, forceful… it is absolute fabulous fun for the lovers. You can laugh because of the sheer power and chaos, but the musicians are clever enough to vary with slower, often moving and sensitive moments, giving both artists and listeners a break before all hell breaks loose again.”
Writing for JazzWord, Ken Waxman remarked: “The two CDs featuring the ensemble are filled with the palpable excitement from 11 players collectively honking, fluttering and snorting… the band has such control that the climax isn’t blood vessel bursting flashiness, but contrapuntal divisions exposing every texture.”
Recorded live on 19th, 20th and 21st February 2009 at Victoria, Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo, Norway.
Mixed and mastered at Desibel.Design – Lasse Marhaug, Peter Brötzmann
Producer – Paal Nilssen-Love, Peter Brötzmann
Producer – Joakim Haugland
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Thomas Hukkelberg
Peter Brötzmann: Reeds
Ken Vandermark: Reeds
Mats Gustafsson: Reeds
Joe McPhee: Trumpet, Saxophone
Jeb Bishop: Trombone
Johannes Bauer: Trombone
Per Åke Holmlander: Tuba
Fred Longberg-Holm: Cello
Kent Kessler: Bass
Michael Zerang: Drums
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums