Mehan Jayasuriya

German jazz saxophonist Peter Brötzmann has spent the last forty years exploring the boundaries of improvisational ensemble playing, building his reputation on consistently intense and passionate performances. That being the case, almost any of his performances should rightfully be deemed an important event. However, the upcoming performance of the Brötzmann Chicago Tentet as a part of the Chicago Humanities Festival may just be more deserving of that label.

The legendary tentet, comprised of some of the most renowned improvisational jazz musicians in the world (including Chicago's own Ken Vandermark on reeds), will for the first time incorporate a vocal performance into its work. Welsh language performer Mike Pearson will read the poetry of American poet Kenneth Patchen, which the tentet will integrate into its improvised performance. "It's the first time we've done anything with vocals," says Vandermark, "it's pretty exciting actually. It's going to force us to work in a completely new way."

The tentet also hopes to integrate film into the performance; making this a mixed-media project of sorts. "This is partially why the Humanities Festival was interested," explains Vandermark. "It's an opportunity to do something different in an environment that wants it." Despite the novel nature of this performance, it will be no less improvised than previous performances. Vandermark laughs when asked how the two performances will be integrated. "That's the crux of it, we don't really know. We have to figure out how to make the thing work from a musical and logistical standpoint. They have to carry equal weight, which is going to take some work." However, if such an equilibrium is created, the results should prove stunning. "The kind of intense passion and interest in pursuing complex, human issues feels very connected to the kind of work Peter does in his music," Vandermark explains of Patchen's poetry. "There's something completely complementary about that."

The Brötzmann Chicago Tentet plays November 7 at the Claudia Cassidy Theater in the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 East Randolph.

(2004-08-25)

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