Peter Brotzmann, a German free-jazz saxophonist, was born March 6, 1941 in Remscheid. Brotzmann is one of the most prominent European free jazz musicians. On his many recordings, you can easily recognize his rough and lyrical tone. After studying painting in Wuppertal, he became dissatisfied by art galleries and exhibitions. Brotzmann, who has most of his album covers designed himself, hasn’t abandoned his art training. He learned to play clarinets and saxophones first. Perhaps the only jazz musician who can play the tarogato is him. Peter Kowald, double bassist, was one of his first musical relationships. Brotzmann released Adolphe Sax in 1967, his first recording. It featured Kowald and Sven-Ake Johansson as drummers. Machine Gun was released in 1968, an octet recording that is often cited as one of the best free jazz albums. Machine Gun is a powerful, high-impact sound attack that still shocks listeners decades later. Brotzmann was forced to reduce the group to three members due to logistical problems when touring with an octet. Brotzmann experimented with noise rock and heavy metal in the 1980s. He also played briefly in Last Exit. Brotzmann is still active and continues to tour and record. As a bandleader, he has released more than thirty albums and appeared on many more. Brotzmann’s Die Like A Dog Quartet, which includes William Parker, Toshinori Kondo and Hamid Drake, is loosely inspired in part by Albert Ayler (saxophonist), who was a major influence on his music. He has been regularly recording and touring with The Peter Brotzmann Octet since 1997. Since 1997, Brotzmann has recorded or performed with many musicians including Evan Parker, Han Bennink and Bill Laswell. Willem Breuker is another of his collaborators. Ken Vandermark, Conny Bauer, Ken Vandermark and Brotzmann’s son, Caspar Brotzmann. He is also a well-known guitarist. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
