Broetzmann and Lonberg-Holm

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clarinetist and saxophonist Peter Broetzmann was one of the main protagonists of this first wave of independent European improvisers. While some of his cohorts have left us or have found security in more tempered playing, Broetzmann has remained true to the musical ideals of his youth.

He began his artistic quest as a visual artist but soon developed a love of music and taught himself to play a broad range of wind instruments. A powerful man, he attacked his horns in a visceral manner, sometimes seeming to scream through the wood and metal. Commentators have often mischaracterized him as a disciple of the American saxophonist Albert Ayler, but his playing is much more varied and lyrical than that. In a way, his approach can be structurally compared with that of Ben Webster, a swing era saxophonist known for his lyrical ballad playing who played with an enormous sound and was nicknamed "The Brute."

Broetzmann likes to create different sound palettes, and therefore often changes instruments during a performance. But his search for soundscapes reaches further, and his music is essentially collaborative, architectural, and orchestral, whether working in a duo or leading his all-star tentet. On the rare occasion when he performs or records by himself, his improvised solos likewise reveal a concern for thematic development and structural complexity.