Co-curated by Sound in Motion, this final day of BRAND! – ‘In the spirit of Peter Brötzmann’ – is not just a tribute to jazz and improvisation icon Peter Brötzmann (1941-2023). Together with Evan Parker, Cel Overberghe, Camille Émaille, Hanne De Backer, Julien Desprez, Farida Amadou, Adia Vanheerentals, Ornella Noulet, Casper Van De Velde and Daniel Spicer, we will explore how far his legacy extends. Four concerts, a book presentation and a film will be used to assess how influential Brötzmann was and how his legacy continues to inspire generations…
IN THE SPIRIT OF PETER BRÖTZMANN
PROGRAMME (Your ticket is valid for the whole day!)
FILM
14.00 at Cinema Lumière: Frederik de Merodestraat 28 – walking distance from NONA)
Soldier of the Road – A Portrait of Peter Brötzmann (Bernard Josse/2011/93’/English subtitles)
BOOK PRESENTATION & TALK
16.00 DANIEL SPICER – Free-Jazz, Revolution and the Politics of Improvisation.
Talk with the author and a few musicians about Peter Brötzmann and his legacy.
CONCERTS
17.00 HANNE DE BACKER / CASPER VAN DE VELDE
20.00 CEL OVERBERGHE / ORNELLA NOULET / ADIA VANHEERENTALS
21.00 FARIDA AMADOU / JULIEN DESPREZ
22.00 EVAN PARKER / CAMILLE ÉMAILLE
SiM FOOD STAND
18.00 – 20.00 Delicious food selection served at The SiM Food Stand
ABOUT PETER BRÖTZMANN (DE)
German reed player and visual artist Peter Brötzmann(1941-2023) was one of the radical innovators of the second half of the 20th century. One of the crucial pioneers of free jazz and free music in Europe, he was active for more than half a century. His legendary sound – often harsh, blood raw, uncompromising – was notorious all over the world. So was his stubbornness. But despite all that volume and sometimes ferocious screaming on those instruments, it is impossible to limit yourself to that. Brötzmann was part of a generation of artists looking for a tabula rasa in post-war Germany, and his influence extended far beyond music.
He was involved in the international Fluxus movement as a visual artist and would also build an international network as a musician. He had an ethos of relentless touring that was later adopted by numerous punk bands. Brötzmann was also a forerunner of the DIY movement. If you wanted to achieve something, you didn’t wait for it to fall into your lap. As he himself put it, ‘Nothing in this world is free. You use your elbows and make a little more room for yourself that way.’ He gave unvarnished opinions, about his surroundings and his art. He went for total surrender and in this he was consistent. If a band was finished, he put a stop to it. He could be merciless about tameness, about lack of motivation. It bothered him that a lot of young talents emerged, only to disappear again.
On this day, however, we give the stage to some veterans, contemporaries of Brötzmann, as well as young artists who have the perseverance and personality to make a difference. Each of them is now on a promising and strong course in a world of free and other unusual music. Together they tell a musical story that is inevitably indebted to Brötzmann, but at the same time explores uncharted territory, where their own ideas and baggage count. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
EVAN PARKER – CAMILLE ÉMAILLE (UK/FR)
Evan Parker is an absolute legend of improvised music. Was there on Brötzmann’s legendary Machine Gun (1968), and subsequently developed an unprecedented career, with long-term projects (such as the trio with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton, still in great form at the Summer Bummer Festival this summer) and countless collaborations with musicians from various disciplines. Possesses phenomenal control over extended techniques, which has allowed him to significantly expand the range of sounds and possibilities of his instruments.
After Peter Brötzmann, who invited her for his 80th birthday festival, the unique playing style of French drummer Camille Émaille also caught Evan Parker’s attention. A duo performance between Parker and Émaille during In the Spirit of Peter Brötzmann was therefore inevitable.
Émaille is a classically trained percussionist who apprenticed with Fred Frith, Roscoe Mitchell and William Winant, among others, but then interrupted her studies to travel the world. She has a physical relationship with sound and, through improvised and other music, searches for the place where energy, concentration and listening are so strongly activated that self-awareness dissolves.
Farida Amadou – Julien Desprez (BE/FR)
Farida Amadou became a central player of Belgian experimental music in no time at all. She played with punk band Cocaine Piss, quickly formed an alliance with drummer Steve Noble and performed with Moor Mother, Heather Leigh, Peter Brötzmann and Thurston Moore – check the acclaimed M.A.N.–B.A.N. relesase on Sound in Motion’s Dropa Disc label. She recently released her first solo album When It Rains, It Pours (Week-End Records) on which she further explores the possibilities of her bass guitar, with an approach that is as subtle as it is daring.
Julien Desprez is one of the most original guitarists of the moment. Considers his instrument as a battery, an organ, an instrument to be deployed according to his ideas of the moment. Through effects pedals and other interventions, he opens up the possibilities of sound and physical environment on his instrument. Constantly moving between corporeality and futurism. Has played a.o. with Charlie Haden, Mats Gustafsson, Fire! Orchestra, Tortoise, Han Bennink and Eve Risser.
CEL OVERBERGHE – ADIA VANHEERENTALS – ORNELLA NOULET (BE/FR)
Cel Overberghe is a visual artist, poet and saxophonist. He stood at the cradle of free jazz and free improvisation in Belgium. For instance, he can be heard on several recordings with Fred Van Hove and was closely involved in the Werkgroep Improviserende Musici (WIM). In his long career, he also played other styles such as swing and bebop. Recently, he played a stunning concert with legendary American saxophonist Joe McPhee.
Adia Vanheerentals is an Antwerp-based saxophonist and composer active in various disciplines. Founder of the bands Bodem, Vanheerentals / Lasure / Beeckaert and Waarlijk. Collaborated on Femke Gyselinck’s dance production Change Of Plans (in 2023 in NONA) and she is one of Klara’s ‘Twintigers’ this year. Recently released the solo release Here Are 5 Reasons To Meditate via Ultra Eczema by Dennis Tyfus.
Ornella Noulet is a young French saxophonist who combines a love of modal jazz with a dedication to free music and sound research. She is currently based in Brussels, where she plays with Ola Tunji, among others. She first performed with Overberghe and Vanheerentals at the past Summer Bummer Festival and will make her debut on the respected US label Relative Pitch this fall with the solo album Promise of Faithfulness.
Hanne De Backer – Casper Van De Velde (BE)
Belgian reed player Hanne De Backer has quickly become a fixture in adventurous European jazz & improvisation. Part of collective La Nuée and underground band Condor Gruppe, she has played with The Ex and Paal Nilssen-Love, among others. Founder of g a b b r o, with which she explores the relationship between free music and various locations. This has resulted in several well-received albums and the film performance As We Walk.
Belgian drummer Casper Van De Velde created a furore at a young age as one half of schntzl. Since then, he has grown into a drummer who has become an indispensable part of Belgian jazz and pop, playing with, among others, Donder, Vitja Pauwels’ Early Life Forms, Bombataz and the An Pierlé Quartet. Also active in music theatre, with the duo Schreel Van De Velde (at 13.11 in nona) and his solo project Simba. Is now working with Hanne De Backer on a new, multidisciplinary g a b b r o adventure.
Daniel Spicer (UK)
Daniel Spicer is a music journalist, radio producer, improviser and poet from Brighton. Writes for The Wire, Jazzwise, Songlines, WeJazz and The Quietus. He is the author of The Turkish Psychedelic Music Explosion: Anadolu Psych (1965-1980) and Peter Brötzmann: Free-Jazz, Revolution And The Politics Of Improvisation, the first English-language biography on Peter Brötzmann (publication: January 2025). We discuss the icon with him and some musicians.
