Fuck De Boere

Album review

Not much has set the jazz community more on its collective ear as when Peter Brotzmann and the rest of his European free jazz associates recorded Machine Gun in May of 1968. Finally released by Atavistic, Fuck de Boere includes two live cuts from that seminal early group at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival. Opening with "Machine Gun," recorded in March of 1968, Peter Brotzmann and his group blast away at what was to become the landmark recording a few months later in the studio. At this time, the group included an additional saxophone player, Gerd Dudek. This version finds itself a bit more playful than Machine Gun's version, not quite as menacing or brooding; the structure is the same, here favoring the longer take, but the interplay and overlap between the instruments is not as urgent. What it lacks in attack, however, it makes up for in improvisation, enthusiasm, and sheer genius of the composition. The second cut, "Fuck De Boere," is itself an audio tornado, buzzing around relentlessly until it breaks down a bit around five minutes in. This was recorded live in 1970 and included the use of four trombonists and the perfectly experimental Derek Bailey on electric guitar. Complete with shouting and animal calls, this number ranges from ambient-like textures to bombastic, split-second punches and involves every possible combination of instrumentation. Every player is on board this amazing journey of a piece, from Fred van Hove's organ-pounding to Han Bennick's cathartic, relentless percussive impulses. "Fuck de Boere" winds to a swirling, sea-sickening ending among triumphant squelches and scattered helpless melodies, only to succumb to a final yelp of Brotzmann's horn. Just under 55 minutes for the entire album, and it's certainly nothing short of stunning.

© Ian Trumbull /TiVo