GLOBE UNITY ORCHESTRA "Jahrmarkt / Local Market" PO TORCH LP MINT

$

40

 Side 1    Jahrmarkt (23:28)

 Alto Saxophone – Anthony Braxton;  Saw [Musical Saw] – Paul Lovens; Tenor Saxophone – Peter Brötzmann Trombone – Albert Mangelsdorff Trumpet – Enrico Rava

Recorded at the Sudwestfunk Studios, Baden-Baden, Germany: 27- Nov-1975

Side 2  Local Fair (21:02)

 Accordions – Artur Beck, Birgit Reitz, Dirk Heinen, Ewald Wirths, Gabriele Joest, Hans Eikermann, Hans-Peter Fresen, Harald Pauli, Heinz Neyen, Horst Stark (2), Jörg Stepputat, Klaus Bächler, Klaus Krapp, Martina Apfelbaum, Martina Joest, Monika Lusebrink, Peter Eikermann, Rosemarie Spormann, Ursula Gruner, Ursula Göge, Ursula Saale, Wolfgang Gries, Wolfgang Göge, Wolfgang Weckelmann

Alto Saxophone – Bernhard Kleinert ; Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Peter Brötzmann  ; Clarinet – Hans-Peter Krummenauer, Vangelis Zikas Clarinet; Alto Saxophone – Theo Powiton;  Drums – Peter Spormann, Vassilis Zikas;  Electric Bass – Manfred

Recorded at the Wuppertal Free Jazz Workshop:  5-Jun-1976

Here we find bassist Peter Kowald's large ensemble investigating matters of an Ivesian nature. The first of the two side-long compositions involves the deployment of 15 musicians throughout a recording studio in various configurations playing some loosely organized thematic material, freely improvising and interspersing various canonical material from Sousa to Monk. It's an all-star cast that includes Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, and Peter Brotzmann and they kick up quite a storm from the raging Machine Gun-like opening salvo through some fleet trombone multiphonics (presumably from Albert Mangelsdorff) to a subdued gasp of an ending. For the second piece, Kowald opted to literally take it to the streets and apparently invited every musician in Wuppertal (as well as a number of non-musicians) to participate. So in addition to the regular Globe Unity personnel, we have a 17-piece brass band, a Greek bouzouki quartet, and Wupperspatzen, a 30-piece accordion ensemble. Chaos ensues. Performed and recorded in the town square, one has the dizzying impression of wandering through a space where the local bureaucracy made a horrible error and no one wants to budge. So you have a schmaltzy brass band butting heads with free jazzers while sidestepping the advancing accordion army and trying to ignore that raucous Greek clarinet player. Loads of fun in the best tradition of free music wackiness. – All Music Guide – 4 stars