17 dicembre 2023

 

Uno speciale doppio concerto, pomeridiano e serale, si tiene oggi a Chicago in onore di Peter Brötzmann (1941-2023), con la partecipazione di molti dei musicisti d'area che hanno fatto parte dei progetti del compianto sassofonista a partire dai primi anni Novanta, il più celebre e longevo dei quali appunto il Chicago Tentet: ci saranno Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, Jeb Bishop, Jason Adasiewicz, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Zerang e Hamid Drake oltre al figlio di Peter, Caspar Brötzmann, e molti altri in distinti momenti e diversi raggruppamenti. L'evento è promosso da John Corbett in alleanza con Constellation nella sede che fu il Viaduct Theater e anticipa di un paio di mesi un'iniziativa analoga che si terrà a Londra nel febbraio 2024. Lo si può seguire in diretta streaming su YT: Na Ja: A Peter Brötzmann Memorial Concert.

Constellation is a performing arts presenter with an emphasis on forward-thinking practices particularly in the areas of jazz, improvised, experimental, and contemporary classical music. Its programming fosters collaborations between disparate musical communities, helping to enrich and enhance a broader understanding of how these traditions have developed and intersected. Since it opened Constellation has been dedicated to elevating and providing support to talented, ground-breaking, and excellent artists from Chicago and the world at large, producing events with the best production and audience experience possible. With expanding resources and a strengthened reputation, the venue seeks to do more to support the artists that perform at the space as well as the local artistic community in general.

One of the landmark figures in improvised music, German saxophonist and clarinetist Peter Brötzmann maintained a special relationship with the Chicago music community. First performing in the city in the late 1980s, Brötzmann initially worked in small ensemble settings, duos and trios, often with drummer Hamid Drake. In 1996, he assembled the nucleus of the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, an all-star band that worked consistently around the world for more than 15 years. Brötzmann's last appearance in Chicago was in a quartet setting featuring vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, the same group with whom Brötzmann played his final concerts before his untimely passing in June. As a memorial to Brötzmann, with particular attention to his Chicago connection, this event will feature all members of the original Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, Jason Adasiewicz, and several special guests. Two full concerts will include four sets each, with various groupings drawn from the overall participants, including working groups DKV Trio, Ensemble Redux (playing Brötzmann) and Survival Unit III, as well as several world premier groupings. Rare footage of Brötzmann will be on view. 

https://constellation-chicago.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4CriDnwRiY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dInARLQvYks