Peter Brötzmann: Free-Jazz, Revolution and the Politics of Improvisation

Peter Brötzmann: Free-Jazz, Revolution and the Politics of Improvisation

Explores the heroic life and revolutionary music of the pioneering German saxophonist, and the radical social and political convictions that informed them. Peter Brötzmann is the first ever, full-length, English-language biography of one of the most fascinating and inspiring personalities in the history of Western improvised music – and one of the key artistic figures to emerge from the socio-cultural tumult of the 1960s. Drawing on extensive interviews with Brötzmann and key associates, it traces the German saxophonist’s crucial role as a pioneer of European free jazz, his restless travels and collaborations and his eventual superstardom, examining the life and work of a fiercely uncompromising artist with a reputation for gruff intensity and total commitment. Digging deep into the history and aesthetics of free jazz in Europe and beyond, it provides detailed analysis of music by Brötzmann and other major figures, while positioning Brötzmann’s work – and the wider free jazz milieu – in the context of the revolutionary left-wing, humanist and utopian ideals that inspired and underpinned it. Both intimate and wide-ranging, it tells the story of a man and a music that changed the world. “This is essential reading to understand the world of resistance, dedication, and the no-compromises attitude that illustrates who Brötzmann really was. It’s the perfect introduction as well as an in-depth portrait of one of the true innovators and pioneers of free music!” – Mats Gustafsson "Through the oral histories of those involved, Spicer's own perspective conveys the range of Brötzmann's life in a way that rings true." – Ken Vandermark Daniel Spicer is a writer, broadcaster, improviser and poet. He writes about music for The Wire, Jazzwise, Songlines, WeJazz and The Quietus . He is the author of The Turkish Psychedelic Music Explosion: Anadolu Psych (1965 – 1980) .