European Free Jazz - European Development of Free Jazz

European Development of Free Jazz

The introduction of this new, avant-garde style influenced many European jazz musicians like the German Saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, who is known as one of the first European free jazz musicians. The founders of European free jazz usually came from a classic jazz background and then went over bebop and hardbop into free jazz. Brötzmann began playing free jazz music in 1964 and he formed a quintet with "Peter Kowald and Sven-Åke Johansson. The following year he toured Europe in a quintet led by Mike Mantler and Carla Bley and they began an association with the Globe Unity Orchestra that lasted until 1981".

Saxophonist Peter Brötzmann Brötzmann is renowned for his high-strung, fast-paced playing, although the harmonies in his playing are often overlooked. His collaborator Peter Kowald interpreted free jazz on the double bass. Kowald helped in creating such organizations like, "FMP (1969), which sponsors performances and issues recordings of free jazz, the Wuppertal Free Jazz Workshop, and 360° Spielraum für Ideen, an art gallery and performance space in Wuppertal". Trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, although coming from a more classic background, also had great influence. He toured Asia, the United States and South America and was one "finest trombonists in modern jazz". Alexander von Schlippenbach's Globe Unity Orchestra created a big scandal at its debut in Berlin. In Germany some of the 2nd generation free jazz players came from a more European music background, like Georg Gräwe, Theo Jörgensmann or Hannes Bauer. In East Germany, trombonist Conny Bauer and drummer Günter Sommer spread free jazz in the Socialist block. Bauer "formed Doppelmoppel, a quartet of two trombones and two guitars" in 1982 and participated in the European Jazz Ensamble which celebrated its 20th Anniversary tour in 1996. In the UK the saxophonist Evan Parker who was highly influenced by John Coltrane took on the role of Brötzmann for Britain. The guitarist Derek Bailey and trombonist Paul Rutherford also developed the British scene. Both Paul Rutherford and Evan Parker experimented with solo improvisation for extended periods of their careers. Slava/Viacheslav/Ganelin, from Soviet Lithuania, came out with a bang in the late 70's, playing with Vladimir Chekasin /saxes/ and percussionist Vladimir Tarasov The UK music publisher Leo Feigin /LEO Records/ produced dozens of their records, as well of other highly talented musicians from the Eastern Block.

In addition to the rise of free jazz artists in Europe, during the 1960s there was a "sudden surge in critical interest…the emergence of a new cohort of critics – young intellectuals such as Yves Buin, Michel Le Bris, Guy Kopelowicz and Jean-Louis Comolli – who took up the cause of experimental jazz". During this time, free jazz was based less on its original African-American influences and became increasingly more European in style. Through the usage of "spontaneous improvisation theoretically free of the diatonic/chromatic and metric systems governing harmony, melody, and rhythm of both pre-free jazz and other Western music," the European free jazz musicians created their own interpretations of this style of music based on their personal experiences living in various Western European societies. In Europe, this style of music achieved the relative level of success that "'bop,' 'early jazz,' and 'swing' enjoy in America," during their respective musical periods. In Europe, this genre of music is commonly referred to as 'Free Improvisational' music. According to Oxford Music Online, "In Europe (especially England) free jazz is also known simply as 'improvised music,' particularly in performances which emphasize stylistic connections to avant-garde art music rather than to sounds of African-American origin".