For Example/Workshop Freie Musik - 1969-1978

Jost Gebers (1978)

In the middle of the sixties, when European jazz musicians were gaining personality, when this European jazz music was becoming audible, there also emerged considerations whether this music should not be presented in other forms than those being so long the usual ones. In most cases the musicians themselves developed new models, looked for new forms of presentation, and started to produce and to market their records themselves. In the year 1968 a decisive step was made into this new direction. Peter Brötzmann produced his second record, “Machine Gun”, in a self-managed publishing house; in the summer jazz musicians organized an alternative programme to “Jazz am Rhein” in a basement garage in Cologne; and the first “Total Music Meeting” took place in Berlin.

The experiences gained from these various activities were later on to be of great use to us for the organization and realization of the workshops. Yet, at first by a hairsbreadth we escaped a fiasco. That was in 1969. Full of joy we accepted the offer by the Academy of Arts to hold a three-day concert within the framework of an exhibition; then, at Easter, the exhibition “Minimal Art” was being shown. Unfortunately we had to learn quite a lot the hard way in our euphoria. We had made a programme, which divided the visitors into two camps. On one side three Free Jazz groups, on the other side the Alexis Korner Blues Group. Having suffered this successful failure – our concept seemed to be right, the programme seemed to be wrong, at least at that time- we tried to take better ways.

In 1970, following another made by the Academy, the three days` function became a five days’ workshop with rehearsals open to the public, with two big pedestals in the exhibition hall and with a consistent Free Jazz programme. Now, we could see that our first attempt of bringing this music out of concert halls and clubs into open rooms was right. The restraints on musicians and audience could be considerably reduced.

We adhered to this concept until 1972. But here, too, still considerable misunderstandings occurred: Musicians and groups, who wished to return, form the open form of the workshop back to the closed concerts with well-defined courses, groupings in the audience, who wished to play with or against us (the manufacturers of flutes must have had gigantic sales during these years). But also in this time both partners, musicians as well as listeners, started to use their possibilities more effectively.

The next turning-point for us was the year 1973. In this year, because of concentration, we started to work only with one stage being put up in a central position in the big exhibition hall; and this step turned out to bring the results we intended. The focus of the five days’ series shifted from presentation, from deliverance, to process, to trial. The majority of the audiences come without expecting to hear extreme things; they do not necessarily want to have their hearing habits confirmed.

Since 1975 musicians of a particular instrument are introduced by solo performances at the beginning of each evening, in 1975 trombones, in 1976 guitars, in 1977 double basses, in 1978 saxophones. In doing so, it becomes possible to experience very different styles of playing as well as various possibilities of using an instrument.

The workshop placed composition commissions in 1972, 1975 and 1978. In 1972 with Fred Van Hove who wrote a piece for wind players and two pianists; the one piano part was taken by Misha Mengelberg, the other one was played by Fred Van Hove. For the small personnel of the Globe Unity Orchestra, Globe Unity Special, commissioned compositions were written in 1975 by Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, and Misha Mengelberg, and for the Globe Unity Orchestra 1978 by Alex Schlippenbach, Kenny Wheeler and the young German pianist, Elmar Kräling.

As conclusion, a few comments on our approach, on organization, ma be fitting. The Academy of Arts places every year financial means, its rooms, its staff and its know-how at our disposal. It leaves, however, the whole concept and the realization in all details to the Free Music Production. Since a few years we get additional finances by selling broadcasting rights; that is, we offer complete programmes to ARD broadcasting corporations. I think this is a unique example of cooperation between an institution and a musicians’’ collective. In doing so, we were in a position to try things very uncompromisingly, to let things grow and finally also to reach points which are backed by the majority of the musicians.

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