Peter Brötzmann

German free jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. He is the father of Caspar Brötzmann.

Born on 6 March 1941 in Remscheid, Germany.
Died on 22 June 2023 in Wuppertal, Germany.

Peter Brötzmann was known for his radical and energetic playing style that has been compared to “taking out the trash”, but he could also be heard offering subtle and almost tender sounds. Brötzmann played the saxophone for more than 50 years and was considered one of the pioneers of free jazz in Germany. He was part of a group of musicians who broke away from the traditional forms of jazz in the mid-1960s. They ignored instrumental hierarchies and performed as a collective, which increased the intensity of their performances and undermined song conventions from within. Free jazz was both a social and musical revolution. Brötzmann never deviated from his line and remained true to his artistic expression. He recorded numerous style-defining free jazz albums and always maintained artistic independence in all aspects of his work. Brötzmann began his career as a visual artist and worked as an assistant to Fluxus artist Nam Jun Paik. He learned from Paik how important it is to maintain artistic independence in all aspects of one’s work, which later strengthened his attitude as a musician. Brötzmann’s first major album was “Machine Gun” (1968), which he recorded with an octet after mainly playing in trios before that. The music is a wild massacre with three tenor saxophones, piano, two basses, and two drums. It conveys the euphoria of that time but also expresses anger and fears. Brötzmann always believed that music is not just about music but also has a social mission. He continued to perform almost until his death and had gained many new young fans worldwide in recent years.

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