Vintage Gun Collection

Reissue

BY David DacksPublished Sep 24, 2007

At last, one of the crucial moments of modern European musical history is available to the mass audience it deserves — Peter Brötzmann’s scalding hot free jazz masterpiece Machine Gun, originally released in 1968 (now on Atavistic). Brötzmann’s freshly minted octet had recently convened for a performance in Frankfurt, and recorded this beer-fuelled session in a concrete basement in a Bremen club. Utilising the most guttural reaches of a triple tenor sax section, the 17-minute title track mimics the rapid fire of a machine gun as its opening statement. Sheer proto-punk fury results. The band’s energy is all the more impressive when the single-minded octet swoops and dives through clattery yet dynamic ensemble sections and white-hot solo passages. It’s a mighty blast for a new generation of aggressive music lovers — with bonus tracks to boot.

Click here to read a web exclusive interview with Peter Brotzmann.

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