28 October 2010

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Arrive in Oslo. Air Berlin is quite kind
and lets me take my baritone onto the plane without buying an extra seat
or charging me- amazing. The Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet tour starts
with a 3 day festival at the Nasjonal Jazzscene venue. Day 1
starts with a quintet featuring Johannes Bauer, Jeb Bishop, Mats G…ustafsson,
Fred Lonberg-Holm and Michael Zerang (music deals with sounds and
textures, open rhythmic phrasing, but also includes melodic “hymns”). I
follow this with a solo set, playing 2 compositions by Joe McPhee (Sweet
Dragon, Goodbye Tom B), an open improvisation on clarinet, and Brullt;
feel good about the performance [such a difference from the experience
in Chicago at transitor in September…], and get compliments from
McPhee and Brotzmann that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.
The Tentet (all eleven: Bauer, Bishop, Brotzmann, Gustafsson,
Holmlander, Kessler, Lonberg-Holm, McPhee, Nilssen-Love, Vandermark,
Zerang) concludes the night with a diverse set, full ensemble to solo,
conductions, etc. The group decides to set up differently, splitting the
drums to opposite sides of the stage and putting the strings and tuba
in the back center, creating a new environment for the band, knocking
apart old routines. Excellent. The Tentet from our previous Oslo
appearance: