Trzaska holds his own on bass clarinet and C-melody saxophone against the formidable power of Brötzmann's tenor and alto saxophones, clarinet and tarogato. Over in the brass section, Bauer's game plan locks in with the reed expositions from the other two, whether he's vibrating rapid-fire triplets, exposing staccato asides or extending gutbucket smears to their utmost.
Bauer / Brotzmann / Trzaska Goosetalks
Label: Kilogram Records 2010 Catalogue No: KG 17 Format: CD
1. Goosetalks 2. Ducks Call 3. Two Birds In A Feather 4. StormIn The Wasserglass 5. Peacock's Nightmare 6. The 'Albert Is Missing' Signal
Line-up:
Mikolaj Trzaska - alto saxophone, bass clarinet Peter Brotzmann - tenor/alto saxophones, tarogato, clarinet Johannes Bauer - trombone
Recorded:
in Dragon club In Poznan on February 22, 2008
About:
This is a recording from one and only concert of this trio In Poland which took place in Dragon club In Poznan on February 22, 2008. A very special trio consisting of brass Instruments: Peter Brotzmann (tenor/alto saxophones, tarogato, clarinet), Mikolaj Trzaska (alto saxophone, bass-clarinet) and Johannes Bauer (trombone). Brotzmann, born In 1941, Is an Icon of European free jazz: uncompromised, aggressive and very creative he participated In countless free jazz projects In his career. He also always had an Inclination toward Polish jazz and cooperated In 60's with Tomasz Stanko. His relationship with Mikolaj Trzaska started at the beginning of this century when they created a band called North Quartet with top-rate rhythm section In person of Peter Frlls Nielsen and Peeler Uuskyla. Johannes Bauer Is perhaps slightly less prominent figure than Peter Brotzmann but nonetheless he Is top avant-garde and free jazz trombonist In Europe. He was born In 1954, was one of few significant jazz players In East Germany and after reunification of this country continued his distinguished career playing with such legendary formation In free jazz as Alexander von Schllppenbach's Globe Unity Orchestra, Barry Guys New Orchestra, Tony Oxley Orchestra or Cecil Taylor European Orchestra.
As for Mikolaj Trzaska - in 90's he was key figure In Tri-City yass scene with such ground-breaking groups as Milosc (Love) or Loskot (Din). It Is difficult to imagine without his that this revolutionary event as yass ever took place In Poland and trough this participation in this event he (among others) changed the history of Polish jazz. Fortunately he did not stop there and he's continuously developing his music through cooperation with such foreign top players as Lester Bowie, Jean Luc Capozzo or Joe McPhee. He also set up Kilogram Records company to forward his music to the lovers of free jazz In Poland and abroad.
Reviews:
Building this triangular meeting around ornithologically titled tracks, the horn players on this CD prove that first-class improvisation can result from any combination of instruments. The two Germans and one Pole also confirm that extended techniques used judiciously as well as with bellicose intent can make fowl sounds as palatable as any others.
Two of the aviary adventures - Wuppertal saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and Berlin trombonist Johannes Bauer - have been in the forefront of Free Music for years, working with pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, violinist Jon Rose and bassist Barry Guy among many, many others. Gdańsk resident Mikolaj Trzaska is not as well-known, but shouldnt remain so. Over the past 15 years he has widened his circle of playing partners from fellow Poles such as bassist Marcin Oles and drummer Bartlomiej Oles to Danish drummer Peter Ole Jorgensen, Belgian bassist Peter Jacquemyn and Americans multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee
Throughout the six tracks of this CD he holds his own on bass clarinet and C-melody saxophone against the formidable power of Brötzmann's tenor and alto saxophones, clarinet and tarogato. Over in the brass section, Bauer's game plan locks in with the reed expositions from the other two, whether he's vibrating rapid-fire triplets, exposing staccato asides or extending gutbucket smears to their utmost.
Sounding at points like an out-of-control brass band, the three reach the zenith of creativity on the more-than 19,5-minute "Ducks Call". Here, the multi-layered and intertwining squeals, whinnies and reed pressure from both saxophonists widen polyphonic suggestions past the expected water-fowl-like tongue slaps. With all involved however it's up to the trombonist to prevent fowl from becoming foul. At points Bauer's multi-tongued solo accedes to triple counterpoint, before intersecting with the two reeds to maintain parallel parlando.
Although the reedists are initially apart - one uses a strident vibrato and flutter tonguing to outline the narrative, while the other overlays colored sound tinctures to comment on the progress, their tones soon grow closer. After C-melody and alto saxophones, then two clarinets are pressed into service for duck emulations. Trzaska and Brötzmann explore every corner of the tune, honking rough and nasal fortissimo drones at one another and eventually hooking up with Bauer's rubato tonguing. Following a Brötzmann-led finale of wide-bore snarls and glottal punctuation, the three fuse to expose layered harmonies that range from shrill to subterranean.
Other improvisations range from near bel-canto explorations to ragged deconstruction; with grainy brays erupting from all sides of the horn triangle. If Brötzmann uses false register timbres to outline a strident message then Trzaska responds with false register timbres and a low-intensity obbligato. Or if Bauer erupts into a paroxysm of tone spitting and valve scat singing, then his irregular phrasing is matched by unaccented lyrical lines from Brötzmann's alto or altissimo squeals from Trzaska's clarinet.
Of course the German saxophonist obviously felt he couldn't attribute all the inventive glottal punctuation to wild fowl. "The 'Albert is Missing' Signal" which wraps up this live session is both a homage to Albert Ayler and a change for Brötzmann to shudder, spit and vibrate variants of his glossolalia-touched, and Ayler-influenced playing. Beginning a capella, hes joined first by the Polish saxophonist and then the German trombonist for a thorough examination of contrapuntal split tones, then close-knit harmonies until an extreme altissimo squeak ends the session.
No attempt at flipping anyone the bird, this instance of all-horn improvisation captures three canny sound makers at the height of their power(s).
(Ken Waxman)
*****
We find Brötzmann back with Mikołaj Trzaska, a Polish saxophonist who is in my eyes the antipode of the German, because of his sophisticated warm tone and melodious phrasing, and with Johannes Bauer on trombone to complete the trio. The album's title is quite well chosen, because that's exactly how it sounds on the title track: geese chatting full of excitement and enthusiasm. The long second track is more fluent, called "Ducks Call", and the contrast in physical power between the German and the Polish sax-player becomes all too apparent, although they do find each other in the content of what they're doing, mostly in short bursts of sounds, with the exception of the last track, an ode to Albert Ayler, that starts with a two minute solo intro by Brötzmann, full of raw power, and then listen how emotionally more subtle Trzaska joins, again the perfect complement for the German's tone, with Bauder's warm trombone lifting the whole piece up where it belongs, in the free sky, with Albert Ayler, the ducks and the geese.
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