Search - Peter Brotzmann :: Balls (1970)

Free action!

R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 09/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"BALLS is an excellent example of early European free improvisation. It was one of the first releases on the legendary German FMP label (Free Music Production), and was the first recording by the Brotzmann/Van Hove/Bennink trio, which continued to play together throughout the 1970s. It was a true trio, not just a vehicle for Peter Brotzmann -- Fred Van Hove's blend of avant and tonal pop piano and Han Bennink's wild percussion, vocals and the periodic blasting on shells and horns play an equal role in the group's sound.



Recorded and released in 1970, the original BALLS featured two tracks by Brotz on Side 1, and one track each by Van Hove and Bennink on Side 2. The CD reissue also includes two group improvisations ("Untitled 1 and 2"), which adds 14 minutes of music for a total of 55 minutes. This release on Atavistic Records, in its Unheard Music Series, special subcategory Archive FMP Edition, includes the original album art, and the disc itself is a duplicate of the original FMP vinyl edition (Side 1!). The insert folds out to a replica of a poster, with four photos of the trio in action, and in big letters -- FREE ACTION!



This set makes a great pair with the 1969 NIPPLES (see my 6/15/00 review), featuring a sextet more similar to the octet on MACHINE GUN -- it's also available from Atavistic/FMP Edition. And you might even feel like MORE NIPPLES, a more recent discovery, sessions that were never heard at all until 2003. You can hear the same trio on the disc simply called FMP 0130, the name used by devotees for all these years waiting for the little plastic disc, which finally appeared last year. What makes FMP 0130 unique is that it features very short pieces, for the most part, and lots of Bennink's wild humor. It's a sort of dada circus music, and quite different from anything else I've heard Brotz play. This one, BALLS, is more typical -- extended improvisations with minimal vocals or zaniness."