FULL BLAST

[BROETZMANN-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER]

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© hannes reisinger

“Fire music of the highest quality (wordsandmusic)”

Back from very successful tours through USA/CAN/Europe/Egypt/Israel/Russia/Brazil/Japan (Seattle/Earshot Jazzfestival, Winnipeg/Send&Receive Festival, New York/Knitting Factory, Chicago/Empty Bottle, NYC/Tonic, Berkeley/ Jazzhouse, Victoria/Openspace, Tampere Jazz Happening, Academy of Arts Berlin, AudioArt Krakow, Angelica Festival Bologna, Moers Festival, Lisbon Jazzfestival, Long Arms Moscow, Aposition Festival St.Petersburg, Beta Project Pau, Mediawave Györ, Sonic Protest Paris, Enjoy Jazz Festival Heidelberg, All Frontiers Festival Gradisca, NoJazz Festival Zagreb, Festival De Jazz San Juan Evangelista Madrid, Unerhoert Festival Zurich, Ha'pzura Festival Tel Aviv, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Ujbuda Jazzfestival Budapest, SSG Sao Paolo, Enjoy Jazz Festival Mannheim, Bratislava Nextfestival, RingRing Festival Belgrade, Cerkno Jazzfestival, Rock in Opposition Festival Albi, JazzBez Festival Poland/Ukraina, Clubtransmediale Berlin, Leipziger Jazztage, Brötzfest Tokyo, Berlin JazzFest, London Jazz Festival, Vision Festival New York etc.) we would like to introduce you to our trio with German jazz legend Peter Broetzmann:

Peter Broetzmann (D), reeds (Broetzmann Chicago Tentett, Machine Gun, Die Like a Dog, Globe Unit Orchestra etc.: http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mbrotzm.html)

Marino Pliakas (CH/GR), ebass (steamboat switzerland, KK.Null, sludge 2000, IVES #1 etc.: http://www.marinopliakas.com)

Michael Wertmueller (CH), drums (KK.Null, William Parker Trio, Alboth!, 16-17, W2, IVES #1 etc.; http://www.michaelwertmueller.com)

contact: mail[at]marinopliakas[dot]com

Peter Broetzmann (Germany, reeds) - the living legend of the European new jazz.

He has exemplified European improvised music for over 40 years and participated in countless international collaborations.

A founder of European Free Jazz movement, his work includes collaborations and recordings with Last Exit (with Bill Laswell, Sonny Sharrock and Ronald Shannon Jackson), Evan Parker, Misha Mengelberg, and Borah Bergman. Recent projects include Die Like a Dog (with William Parker, Hamid Drake and Toshinori Kondo), his homage to Albert Ayler, the Chicago-based Broetzmann Tentet and many more.

His first album Machine Gun released in 1968 still represents the reference for the musicians and critics. Considering his 40-years-career and more than 100 albums, but also many current projects, Broetzmann is still one of the most influential figures of the new music.

In this trio his associates are bassist Marino Pliakas (Switzerland/Greece) and drummer Michael Wertmueller (Switzerland/Germany).

FULL BLAST toured since fall 2004 in USA, CAN, UK, Brazil, Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, France, Switzerland, Ukraine, Egypt, Israel, Russia, Japan. Choice of Festivals: Seattle Earshot Jazz Festival, Winnipeg send+receive, Tampere Jazz Happening, AudioArt Krakow, Angelica Festival Bologna, Moers Festival, Lisbon Jazzfestival, Long Arms Moscow, Apositia St.Petersburg, Beta Project Pau, Mediawave Györ, Enjoy Jazz Festival Heidelberg, All Frontiers Festival Gradisca, NoJazz Festival Zagreb, Festival De Jazz San Juan Evangelista Madrid, Unerhoert Festival Zurich, Ha'pzura Festival Tel Aviv, Nextmusic Festival Bratislava, Mulhouse météo Festival, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, SSCE Sao Paolo, London Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazzfest, Vision Festival New York, SuperDeluxe Tokyo etc.

Wertmueller and Broetzmann toured for years as a duo and in various contexts: Broetzmann's Chicago Tentett, very successful record of the two together with William Parker (www.intonemusic.com/nothung) etc.

Wertmueller and Pliakas worked together on various occasions (touring together in various bands on festivals all over Europe e.g. SKIF-Festival St.Petersburg/Russia, Kaunas Jazzfestival/Lithuania, RingRing Festival Belgrade/Serbia, Nozart Festival Cologne/Germany, Xperipheria Budapest/Hungary, Long Arms Festival Moscow/Russia, Cross-linX festival Enschede and Utrecht/Netherlands, Festival Victoriaville/Canada, Sound Forrest Riga, Clubtransmediale Berlin, Ultraschall Berlin, Tonlagen Dresden-Hellerau, Biennale Tel Aviv, Novembermusic Den Bosch etc. together with Peter Broetzmann, Caspar Broetzmann, Stephan Wittwer, John Cale, Holger Csukay, Marian Gold, Mouse on Mars, Jaki Liebezeit, KK.Null, Keiji Haino, Otomo Yoshihide, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson, Mars Williams, Ensemble Mosaik Berlin, Ensemble Courage Dresden, and others; cooperation with Pliakas' avant trio STEAMBOAT SWITZERLAND). Both of them toured worldwide with their various bands (MW: William Parker Trio, Alboth!, 16-17, W2; MP: steamboat switzerland, sludge 2000 etc.).

© guy.vandepoel[at]skynet[dot]be

["There was nothing to do but surrender to this amazing performance, expressing the artist's total, uncompromising belief in the sheer physical power of sound to transform the listener—tons of deafening yet paradoxically blissful sounds that keep me smiling even now when I think about this exceptional trio. "Will the music ever end?" Not when played at this intensity! (Eyal Hareuveni, All About Jazz)"]

Discography:

Finally available since October 2010!!!
Vinyl LP release of live recording @ Berlin JazzFest 2008 on Okka Disc :
Full Blast and friends (Brötzmann/Pliakas/Wertmüller + Keiji Haino, Peter Evans, Mars Williams)
FULL BLAST + FRIENDS, "Crumbling Brain" (Okka, 2010)

- order  from Okka Disc or directly from the artists (cb[at]marinopliakas.com)

still new:

FULL BLAST [BROETZMANN-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER],

„Black Hole“ / „Live in Tampere“ 2CD, Atavistic Chicago (ALP187CD-X, 2009)

Shades of LAST EXIT (sans guitar) are evident, and FULL BLAST also frequently conjures the essence of Brotzmann's landmark early Free recording "MACHINE GUN" in it's visceral intensity. Herr Brö himself refers to FULL BLAST as "THE TRIO" (Atavistic)

CD1 "Black Hole" (rec. Zurich Radio Studio, March 08)

CD2 "Live in Tampere" (Tampere Jazz Happening, live rec. YLE Radio Finland, Nov 05)

“(...)extremely well recorded.(...)Hard to believe that it is only the end of January and already we have a contender for the best free/jazz disc of the year! (full review: DMG)”

“ (...)for you to sink your ears into over and over again. This is free music at its best: fire, fun, and further exploration of the heretofore unknown. (Tom Jurek, whole review: All Music Guide)”

“ (...)God bless European audiences. (JazzTimes)”

“(...)Berlin’s greatest underground jazz party since years. (Christian Broecking, TaZ)”

“NYC performance of the Year 2007 (All About Jazz New York)”

“Fire music of the highest quality (wordsandmusic)”

“ (...)das pralle Leben. Brutal, hart, Jazz als Dauer-Schrei und lebendig ohne Ende. (Jazznetz.de)”

“ (...)Brötzmann’s current trio consolidates his position on the front line of possibilities(...)Peter Brötzmann, the big bad wolf of jazz, came to London, and he huffed and he puffed and he blew your house down. A standing ovation coaxes the clearly exhausted trio back to the stage . (Sunday Times, London Jazzfestival)”

“There was nothing to do but surrender to this amazing performance, expressing the artist's total, uncompromising belief in the sheer physical power of sound to transform the listener—tons of deafening yet paradoxically blissful sounds that keep me smiling even now when I think about this exceptional trio. "Will the music ever end?" Not when played at this intensity! (Eyal Hareuveni, All About Jazz)”

Order from the label: support Atavistic

- or buy it in every good record store

- or get it directly from the artists (30 CHF or 20 EURO incl. shipping): mail@marinopliakas.com

- for press/bookers: promotional copies on demand

back catalogue:

BROETZMANN-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER "Full Blast" (JW 001 , 2006)

Limited numbered bootleg CD edition BROETZMANN-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER, "Farewell Tonic" Live at Tonic Club, New York, April 11 2007 [rec. Bruno Soria, Ulrich Petereit] Only available directly from the artists! - sold out!!

some documents:

Video live take from Moers Festival 2006:

http://www.marinopliakas.com/movbpw.html

Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbiGQQ1ViCc(Berlin JazzFest Nov 08)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhwRlnaTChk(London Jazz Festival Nov 08)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzMKnpst4pA(Cheltenham Jazz Festival Mai 08)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7EKlfklf0M (Rock in Opposition Albi Sept 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8iN4Re2opI (Leipzig Jazztage Opera Oct 2010)

Info: http://www.marinopliakas.com/bpwtotal.pdf

recent references (choice):

2004-2011 tour FULL BLAST [BROETZMANN-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER]

Oct 13/04 USA-New York/Knitting Factory

Oct 14/04 USA-Berkeley, Ca/Jazzhouse

Oct 15/04 USA-Los Angeles, Ca/Villa Aurora

Oct 16/04 CAN-Winnipeg/send+receive festival

Oct 18/04 CAN-Victoria/Open Space

Oct 19/04 USA-Seattle, Wa/Earshot Jazz Festival

May 27/05 GER-Dresden/ Jazzclub Neue Tonne

May 29/05 GER-Berlin/ Akademie der Kuenste: Premiere of new composition by Michael Wertmueller (text by Wolfgang Hilbig)
feat. BROETZMANN-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER 
plus Daniel Lieder (voc) and more instrumentalists and singers ( May 30/05 GER-Berlin/ B-Flat

Nov 3/05 NOR- Trondheim/Jazzforum


Nov 4/05 NOR- Stavanger/Tou Scene


Nov 5/05 FIN- Tampere/Jazz Festival

Nov 6/05 POL- Krakow/AudioArt Festival

Jan 26/06 AUT-Vienna, Porgy & Bess

Jan 27/06 SLO-Maribor, Narodni Dom

Jan 28/06 GER-Passau, Museumscafe

Feb 02/06 GER-Berlin, B-Flat

Feb 03/06 GER-Schorndorf, Manufaktur

Feb 05/06 CH-Geneva, AMR/Cave 12

Feb 06/06 GER-Cologne, Loft (live recording)

Feb 07/06 GER-Frankfurt, Brotfabrik

Mar 11/06 GER-Cologne, Nozart X Festival

Mar 12/06 NL-Rotterdam, WORM

April 17/06 EGYPT-Cairo, Al Ghouri Center for Musical Heritage 


April 18/06 EGYPT-Alexandria, Biblioteca Alexandrina

May 13/06 ITA-Bologna, Angelica Festival

June 2/06 GER-Hamburg, Westwerk 


June 3/06 GER-Moers, MOERS Festival

June 21/06 POR-Lissabon, Jazzfestival ForU, Parque Mayer - Travessa do Salitre 


June 24/06 GER-Bingen, Jazzfestival Bingen

Oct. 1/06 RUS- St.Petersburg/ Aposition Festival 


Oct. 2/06 RUS- Moscow/ Long Arms Festival, Dom

Nov 25/06 F-Pau/Festival Beta Project

April 10/07 USA-Buffalo/Hallwalls

April 11/07 USA-New York/Tonic

April 12/07 USA-Chicago/Empty Bottle

April 13/07 USA-Baltimore/An die Zeit, Red Room

April 14/07 USA-Philadelphia/Ars Nova Workshop, Community Ecucation Center

April 16/07 USA-Atlanta/Eyedrum

April 17/07 USA-Athens GA/40 Watt Club

April 18/07 USA-Providence RI/AS220

April 27/07 HUN-Gyor/Mediawave Festival

May 5/07 FRA-Paris/Sonic Protest Festival

May 6/07 FRA-Bourges/Emmetrop

Oct 11/07 GER-Heidelberg, Enjoy Jazz Festival, Karlstorbahnhof

Nov 2/07 GER-Berlin, Schlot / Broetzmann Total ‘Round Midnight I – Special at Schlot with:

Peter Broetzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, Johannes Bauer, Conny Bauer, Clayton Thomas, Marino Pliakas, Michael Wertmueller

Nov 3/07 GER-Berlin, Schlot /Broetzmann Total ‘Round Midnight II – Special at Schlot with:

Peter Broetzmann, Marino Pliakas, Michael Wertmueller, Johannes Bauer, Conny Bauer, Clayton Thomas, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark

Nov 6/07 HR-Zagreb, NoJazz Festival

Nov 8/07 FRA-Poitiers, Jazz à Poitiers

Nov 9/07 ITA-Gradisca d'Isonzo, All Frontiers Festival

Nov 15/07 ESP-Madrid, Festival de Jazz San Juan Evangelista

Nov 25/07 CH-Zurich, Unerhoert Festival @ Moods

Dec 20/07 ISR-Tel Aviv, Ha'pzura Festival

Jan 11/08 FRA- Lille/Marcq-en-Baroeul, Festival Jazz en Nord

Jan 12/08 BEL- Brugge, De Werf

Mar 23/08 AUT-Vienna/ Porgy&Bess: BPW feat. Ken Vandermark!

Mar 24/08 GER-Berlin/ B-Flat: BPW feat. Ken Vandermark!

Mar 27/08 CH-Chur/ Stadttheater

Mar 28/08 CH-Bern/ Dampfzentrale

May 02/08 UK-Cheltenham/ JAZZ FESTIVAL (10th Annyversary), BBC3 live show

May 31/08 NL-Groningen/Grand Theatre

June 4/08 BRA-Sao Paulo, SESC Vila Mariana

June 5/08 BRA-Porto Alegre, Goethe Institute

June 6/08 BRA-Porto Alegre, Clio Club

July 19/08 GER-Glauchau/Jazz Festival

Nov 5/08 GER-Mannheim, Enjoy Jazz Festival: Brötzmann-Pliakas-Wertmüller feat. Peter Evans (tp), Mars Williams (sax) and Keiji Haino (eguit)

Nov 6/08 GER-Berlin, Jazzfest Berlin: Brötzmann-Pliakas-Wertmüller feat. Peter Evans (tp), Mars Williams (sax) and Keiji Haino (eguit)

Nov 7/08 GER-Munich, Unterfahrt

Nov 15/08 UK- London, London Jazz Festival

Nov 18/08 GER-Wuppertal, Internat Tanzfestival NRW Pina Bausch: Brötzmann-Pliakas-Wertmüller feat. Ken Vandermark

Dec 20/08 SK - Bratislava, Centrum 34

Feb 4/09 CH - Geneva, Usine, Internat. Festival de Percussion

Feb 22/09 ISR-Jerusalem/ Hatzlolelet Yellow Submarine

Feb 23/09 ISR-Tel Aviv/ Levontin 7

May 14/09 FRA-Tours/ Le Petit Fâcheux

May 15/09 SLO-Cerkno/ Jazz Festival

May 16/09 SRB-Belgrade/ RingRing Festival

June 9/09 - Pittsburgh, PA : New Hazlett Theater, http://www.newhazletttheater.org/

June 10/09 - Baltimore, MD: The Windup Space, www.thewindupspace.com

June 11/09 - Washington, DC: Velvet Lounge, http://www.velvetloungedc.com

June 12/09- St.Louis, MO: LEMP Arts Center, http://www.lemp-arts.org/

June 13/09 - Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle, http://www.emptybottle.com

June 14/09 - New York, NYC: Vision Festival, Abrons Art Center, http://www.visionfestival.org

Aug. 27/09 FRA-Mulhouse, Météo Festival

Dec 4/09 - JAP-Tokyo: Pit Inn (with Toshinori Kondo)

Dec 5/09 - JAP-Tokyo: Pit Inn (with Otomo Yoshihide)

Dec 6/09 - JAP-Osaka: Nu Things

Dec 7/09 - JAP-Kobe: Guggenheim House

Dec 8/09 - JAP-Nagoya: Tokuzo

Dec 9/09 - JAP-Tokyo: SuperDeluxe (with Jim O'Rourke, Akira Sakata, Michiyo Yagi, Tamaya Honda, Nori Tanaka, Todd Nicholson, Shigeo Aramaki)

Jan 22/10 CH-Zurich: Zwei Tage Zeit, Rigiblick Theater

Jan 23/10 ITA- Forlì: Areasismica

Sept 3/10: HUN-Budapest, A38 Ship
Sept 8/10: SLO-Ljubljana, Gromka
Sept 16/10: POL-Warsaw, Powiekszenie Club, FULL BLAST feat. Mars Williams
Sept 17/10: POL-Krakow, Alchemia, FULL BLAST feat. Mars Williams
Sept 18/10: FRA-Alby, Rock in Opposition Festival, FULL BLAST feat. Mars Williams
Sept 19/10: NL-Tilburg, Incubate Festival, FULL BLAST
Sept 23/10: FRA-Metz, Théâtre du Saulcy
Sept 24/10: AUT-St.Johann, Musik Kultur
Sept 25/10: FRA-Toulouse, Un Pavé dans le Jazz
Sept 28/10: GER-Cologne, Stadtgarten
Sept 29/10: UK-London, Cafe Oto
Sept 30/10: UK-London, Cafe Oto
Oct 1/10: GER-Leipzig, Leipziger Jazztage
Oct 9/10: NL-Amsterdam, Bimhuis, FULL BLAST feat. Ken Vandermark
Oct 14/10: CH-Bern, Dampfzentrale, FULL BLAST and Guests feat. Ken Vandermark/Thomas Heberer/Dirk Rothbusch
Oct 16/10: GER-Donaueschingen, Donaueschinger Musiktage, FULL BLAST and Guests feat. Ken Vandermark/Thomas Heberer/Dirk Rothbusch
Oct 17/10: CH-Zürich, Moods, FULL BLAST and Guests feat. Ken Vandermark/Thomas Heberer/Dirk Rothbusch
Oct 18/10: AUT-Vienna, Porgy & Bess, FULL BLAST and Guests
Dec 3/10: PL-Lublin, Varshtaty Kultury
Dec 5/10: UKR-Uzhgorod, City Theater
Dec 6/10: UKR-Lviv/Lemberg, Philhamony
Dec 7/10: UKR-Ternopil, City Theter
Dec 8/10: UKR-Ivano-Frankivsk, Philharmony

preview:
Feb 6/11: GER-Berlin, Clubtransmediale Festival, HAU Theater, feat. Mats Gustafsson
Mar 2/11: DK-Aarhus, Ljud/Musiccafeen
Mar 3/11: SWE-Norrköping, Annan Musik/Konstmuseum
tba Jue tour USA, CAN etc.

more TBA

some voices:

"The [Winnipeg] concert was an unbelievable experience. (...)everyone was really into the music. Brötzman came out blowing extremely hard on tenor sax, with a sound that was just gigantic. The drummer, Wertmüller, took a solo on the opening piece that was like a volcanic eruption of the highest magnitude. His limbs were seemingly flailing all over the place, but the torrents of sound and the extreme colours that came from the drumset showed that he was, indeed, in control; the wildest drum solo I've ever witnessed. The bassist was really versitile as well, producing a variety of tones and effects that contributed greatly and enhanced the group sound. (...) If this group stops at a location near you, make sure to check them out. Trust me on this one." (Organissimo Jazz Forum)

"I saw this trio at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles last Friday night. Really a superb trio. (...)They played one piece for about an hour, then a very brief encore. Great fiery waves of music with subdued interludes, sometimes all three, sometimes their solos. (...) Wertmüller and Pliakas were also great. Can't recommend Wertmüller enough. And Pliakas played electric bass, from which I normally shy away, but he produced marvellous sounds from it, repeating figures, accompaniment to the others, almost the piano role.(...)" (Organissimo Jazz Forum)

"[Tampere] Best gig I have seen EVER! Aggressive and violent free jazz with speed of grindcore. There is no way to analyze the gig. It was just pure energy! Marino Pliakas played bass with overdrive effects and it is hard to even image how brutal his sound was. Drum playing of Wertmüller was something between Mick Harris and Rashied Ali, chaotic, intense and fucking raw. The maestro Brötzmann himself screamed through the reeds aggressive way and his playing was just amazing. For fuck sake grindcore is easy listening if you compare it to the intense of Brötzmann, Pliakas and Wertmüller!" (Wonderful World of Master Sweetcore)

"(...) [Berkeley, Ca.] the trio brought their last piece to an extended, thundering conclusion. They reached the state where so much is going on that players and audience all get hypnotized by the vortex.(..) the audience roared." (bay review: http://www.transbaycalendar.org/archive/TB_2004_11.pdf)

"(...)Pliakas et Wertmüller jouent leur rôle de backing band avec beaucoup d'intelligence, construisant par une technique similaire à celle de Brötzmann un mur du son sur lequel les longs souffles du saxophoniste peuvent prendre appui. Tout cela produit forcément beaucoup de bruit, de quoi rendre jaloux nombre d'artistes noise, d'autant que l'énergie sous-jacente retient l'attention de l'auditeur de manière presque hypnotique.(...)" (Knitting Factory NYC concert; EtherReal magazine)

"(...)by far the most intense and affecting set I witnessed [at Tampere festival] was the following performance by the trio of saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, electric bassist Marino Pliakas and drummer Michael Wertmuller. God bless European audiences, because no American venue of the Customs House’s size would be near to full for a Brötzmann concert. And it’d certainly take a specially selected Stateside group to hang in there and withstand the kind of full-on attack the German reedist delivered in Tampere. Playing just three improvisations before leaving the stage, Brötzmann was a ferocious presence onstage, bellowing through his tenor with a bulldozing forcefulness from his first note to his last. Pliakas and Wertmuller were equally assertive at filling every last bit of space in the thick canvas of sound and matched Brötzmann’s fire with accompaniment worthy of an Ozzfest booking. " (JazzTimes, Russell Carlson)

"Full Blast: critics charts 2006" (JazzThing)”

"(...)Mit dem Bassgitarristen Marino Pliakas und dem Schlagzeuger Michael Wertmüller stehen Brötzmann zwei Vertreter der nächsten Generation zur Seite, die seinen Tongewittern eine andere Haltung entgegenbringen. Sie holen den Saxophonisten, wie jüngst eine grosse deutsche Tageszeitung nach Moers schrieb, “aus der Stilfalle der nur sich selbst reflektierenden Avantgarde” herunter. Das neue Brötzmann Trio ist bei strikter Konzentration auf die Energie der Musik ein Hörgenuss. Fürwahr, sie enthält eine Sprengladung, “Full Blast” natürlich." (Jazzpodium, Rainer Kobe)

"(...) these guys would slay your favorite death metal band (...)" (mudslinging birds)

"(...)Seit zwei Jahren hat er eine neue Formation, die weltweit für Furore sorgt.(...) die erste CD-Einspielung von Brötzmann-Pliakas-Wertmüller (Full Blast) Jazzwerkstatt JW 001) erhielt frulminante Kritiken." (Schwarzwälder Bote, Christoph Wagner)

"(...)Einen hervorragenden Auftritt hatte am Sonntag der Saxophonist Peter Brötzmann(...)Mit den beiden jungen Schweizern Marino Pliakas (E-Bass) und Michael Wertmüller (Schlagzeug) hat Brötzmann perfekte Mit- und Gegenspieler gefunden. Beides sind Musiker, die eher in musikalischen Strukturen als in Energiekurven denken. Als wäre alles ausgedacht, finden die beiden immer wieder zu klaren Formen, rhythmischen Mustern und Klangpatterns, die sie dann sehr wohl hochenergetisch aufladen, ineinander schieben und verdichten, aber meist bleibt die Ausgangbasis klar. In diesem Spannungsfeld von Struktur und Freiheit hat auch Brötzmann seine besten Moment, er wird gefordert. Soviel technische Perfektion, intellektuelle Arbeit und gegenseitige Aufmerksamkeit, wie sie Pliakas/Werthmüller zeigten, suchte man beim aus unerfindlichen Gründen weit überschätzten amerikanischen Bassisten Bill Laswell vergeblich(...)" (Christian Rentsch)

"(...)Ein alter Bekannter aus Zeiten, als das Label "NewJazz" noch die Festivalplakate bestimmte, fand den Weg zurück an den Niederrhein: 20 Jahre nach seinem ersten Moers-Auftritt blies der Wuppertaler Saxofonist Peter Brötzmann den Besuchern die Ohren durch. Der Protagonist des europäischen FreeJazz bewegte sich mit dem Schweizer E-Bassisten Marino Pliakas und dessen Landsmann und Drummer Michael Wertmüller permanent an der Grenze: Grindcore, Hardcore, Freejazz - das Publikum wusste schnell, was es in den vergangenen beiden Dekaden verpasst hatte." (TaZ, Holger Pauler)

"(...)Denn mit dem Bassgitarristen Marino Pliakas und dem Schlagzeuger Michael Wertmüller standen zwei Musiker der nächsten, rockgeprägten Generation an seiner Seite, die den Tongewittern des Urgesteins eine andere Haltung gegenüber stellten. Sie holten Brötzmann aus der Stilfalle der nur noch sich selbst reflektierenden Avantgarde und schufen gemeinsam ein Free-Update, das sich wieder ganz auf die Energie der Musik konzentrieren konnte." (Süddeutsche Zeitung, Ralf Dombrowski)

"Das Monstertrio" (NRW Zeitung, Moritz Rouwer)

"Peter Brötzmann at Tonic (...) packed the house. His trio with two younger players - bassist Marino Pliakas and drummer Michael Wertmueller - has been playing together for several years and were clearly up to speed with Brötzmann’s full on sound, meeting him with the fury of the Brö of yore and backing off for extended solo passages. Pliakas in particular is an enormously inventive player, tapping quick and soft pointillist passages, making civilized use of electronic effects and then sailing back into fast, grounding lines. He’s the rare electric bassist who has found extended techniques on the instrument beyond aping the upright bass or electric guitar. The trio was more than adept at breaking into high speed staccato sections, interrupting themselves with explosive blasts and snapping right back. On the metal clarinet, Brötzmann’s real power showed through. He plays clarinet harder, louder, than most people would think possible, dropping gracefully into its natural voice and then pushing back to the hilt to the almost speed metal backing of the rhythm section. “I know it’s a sad night for the town, for us all, but what can we do?” Brötzmann said from the stage in a fitting farewell. “We can just go on and I hope that you have some fun tonight." (All About Jazz, Kurt Gottschalk)

"I caught this trio at Tonic the week before Tonic closed and they were pretty f**king intense! Their electric bassist is one of the most incredibly creative players we've heard in a long while. Check them out! " (dmg)

"’Full Blast’: Right from the git-go the chips are on the table with Brotzmann immediately laying down sloping mountains of the post-Ayler blowisms you'd never mistake for anything else, while Wertmuller adds the kind of frantic/restrained combo drumming one might expect to hear in a band like Ruins. Pliakas is the blue blood coursing through the veins of the unit, steering the band in every direction from speed-reading through and on to molasses lullabyes (but usually only for a brief instant)... I find this whole disc to have a very "metal"-like atmosphere throughout...then again Brotzmann's always been more metal than half the jokers in the genre anyway." (OSG)

"’Full Blast’: Freejazz, (...) eine tonale Aktionskunst, die auf Ereignis, Erstmaligkeit und Präsenz- und Affirmationspflicht ihrer Akteure setzt (...) Die Nähe dieser Kunstform zu Ritualen wird hier deutlich. Peter Brötzmann (as, ts, Tarogato), Marino Pliakas (b) und Michael Wertmüller (perc) lenken und stauen diesen musikalischen Bewusstseinsstrom über die Dauer der fünf namenlosen und ineinander übergehenden Teile des Albums. Brötzmann, Referenzsenior der Freejazzszene [spielt] deklamatorisch und multiphonisch, Pliakas und Wertmüller (...) sekundieren brachial, mit [hyper]komplexen Rhythmen, hier und da so als durchschnitten Coppolas apokalyptische Rotorenblätter die aufgeheizte Luft. (...) von höchster Klangqualität." (Jazzdimensions, Thomas Götzelt)

"(...) Wertmüller was a revelation for me — this guy was amazing. It was his drumming that made the trio sound like a free-jazz take on grindcore and extreme metal: lots of double bass drumming, fills and rolls everywhere, only the occasional attempt to actually hammer out a mid-tempo, comprehensible beat. The result was a wall of sound that was immediately overwhelming but, over time, became totally exhilirating. They only played four or five pieces over the course of two sets — it was the kind of thing where fifteen minutes into a piece, I would think, "holy crap, they've been playing this hard for how long now?" and then they would keep doing it for another ten minutes. The endurance of these guys, especially Brötzmann (who is 66 years old!) was astonishing.

This was "free jazz" that would appeal [also] to noise-rock and extreme metal . (...) This was a pretty mind-expanding show, even if at times it was incomprehensibly overwhelming." (ground and sky, Brandon)

"(...) This trio is essentially a speed-metal rhythm section with a free jazz saxophonist as the front man. And it works well because of the musicianship of all the players involved. The aggressive physicality of this music is a welcome blast and a chance to hear all the intricate moving parts of this thick mass of sound. It's the details of this swirling, pounding sonic assault that makes this music so engaging.(...) I was awed by this group's ability to allow moments of solos to flow organically from this rough sonic fabric without allowing the overall energy level or musical consistency to falter. The skillful fluctuation in density is one of this trio's great strengths. The unflinching exploration into territories of extreme densities and hard-grooving, high-bpm pulse reveals beautiful shards of noise-laced, dissonant detail devoid of the mindless anger often associated with hard-core musics." (Hurdaudio)

"(...)Auf "Full Blast", der aktuellen CD des Trios, bahnt ihm Wertmüller mit bewusst grobkörnig geklapperten, gepeitschten und gerumpelten Stakkatobeats einen, was sag ich, viele Wege. Mit Pliakas und seinem E-Bass steht den beiden jemand zur Seite, der Laswell und Sharrock gleichzeitig vergegenwärtigen kann. Seine knurrige Elektrofräse bricht Schneisen, durch die Brötzmann souverän die Fackel der Free Music trägt, zugleich Träger und Flamme, zugleich der Sturm und die Ruhe selbst. Sein furioser, hartnäckig bohrender und fordernder Ton erreicht im Verlauf des dreiviertelstündigen Levitationsversuchs im Kölner Loft immer wieder Momente gesungener Intensität, Momente hymnischer Seligkeit. " (Bad Alchemy 52, Rigobert Dittmann)

"On the London Jazz Festival’s second night, a trio led by the German barbarian Peter Brötzmann, another modest coup for the festival’s experimental fringe, has been invited into the temple of culture that is the Purcell Room. The saxophonist’s 1968 statement, Machine Gun, laid waste to jazz history and remains a sacred text for American noise-rock bands anxious to claim a classy lineage. Brötzmann’s current trio consolidates his position on the front line of possibilities. The electric bassist Marino Pliakas plays like an escapee from a Norwegian black-metal band who has run away to join the free-jazz circus.

The drummer, Michael Wertmueller, can shift from a sustained rhythmical assault on the rim of his snare to a sudden low-end battery of the entire kit that makes the audience, as one, gasp as if someone has just pushed them off a precipice. Stage right stands Brötzman, 68 years old and looking like a Prussian general in sociology-lecturer threads, riding the storm. When it subsides, he takes a long, lyrical solo that appears to appropriate microseconds of Coltrane or Sonny Rollins, showing you what Brötzmann might have done had he not chosen to make this thrilling and challenging space his own. A standing ovation coaxes the clearly exhausted trio back to the stage.

Surely the London Jazz Festival’s other guests can just pack up and go home now? Peter Brötzmann, the big bad wolf of jazz, came to London, and he huffed and he puffed and he blew your house down." (The Times online Nov 23, 2008)

Blach Hole: "The Full Blast trio includes Peter "Superlungs" Brötzmann on reeds and winds, electric bassist Marino Pliakas, and drummer Michael Wertmüller. The trio issued an intense workout that was recorded in 2006 on the German Jazzwerkstatt imprint and featured five untitled improvisations. This second offering was recorded at Radio Zurich over two days in March of 2008. By contrast, there are 11 pieces here, the vast majority structured almost like proper tunes -- yes, they are titled -- and range from two and half to six and a half minutes, most of them on the shorter side of the scale. There is one long workout entitled "Protoneparcel" in the middle of the recording. Whereas Full Blast's self-titled debut felt very much like a Brötzmann solo offering with sidemen, this date feels very much like a collaborative effort. The relative comfort of the individuals with one another is quite amazing, given the powerful musical personality of Brötzmann. The electric bass of Pliakas is the real glue in these proceedings: it has enough of a dynamic range to actually engage the different sides of the saxophonist's nature. Wertmüller is a drummer of extreme dexterity and range, though his muscular approach to the kit recalls both Milford Graves and a younger Billy Cobham. His rim shots, which occur with constancy, are actually a trademark. 

Perhaps it's because of the flexible but powerful nature of the rhythm section that Brötzmann is able to engage different aspects of his other side -- B-flat clarinet is played as much as the tenor saxophone, and his alto and a tarogato are heard here with regularity as well. The set kicks off with the title track, a brief wall of skronk that recalls Brötzmann's days with Last Exit (minus the guitar, of course), but the hyper-rolling bassline of Pliakas is amazing -- he sounds more like a speed metaller than a vanguard jazzist. But the shimmering snare breaks that kick off "Suzy," with popping basslines under every one of Wertmüller's phrases, usher in a very restrained Brötzmann on clarinet and hint that there is something different afoot. No matter how intense the rhythm section becomes, Brötzmann remains focused on his constructed and very restrained melody even as his tones grow longer and shift registers. The knotty, intricate polysyllabic scalar line that introduces "Alive" is at a furious tempo, but it feels more like mutant bebop with a nearly discernible "melodic" line through the first couple of minutes, even as Pliakas gets near funky in his bass runs. The shifts, canards, and tricks go on for the entire record, providing plenty in this vanguard free jazz fest for you to sink your ears into over and over again. This is free music at its best: fire, fun, and further exploration of the heretofore unknown. (Tom Jurek, All Music Guide)"

"There was nothing to do but surrender to this amazing performance, expressing the artist's total, uncompromising belief in the sheer physical power of sound to transform the listener--tons of deafening yet paradoxically blissful sounds that keep me smiling even now when I think about this exceptional trio. “Will the music ever end?” Not when played at this intensity! (Eyal Hareuveni, All About Jazz) "

„The first disc is the studio date and it is extremely well recorded. Most of the pieces are shorter (less than 6 & 1/2 minutes), hence Brotzmann gets a chance to explore each of his four reeds on separate pieces. Electric bassist Marino Pliakas is just incredible and articulates each note no matter how fast and furiously he plays. Equally colossal is their amazing powerhouse drummer Michael Wertmueller, who has played with Brotzmann on a number of occasions in the past. Contrary to what you read in the above blurbs, not every piece is at "full blast". The pieces where they are blasting are powerful and immensely throttling. The bassist and drummer work extremely well together as each locks in and tightly weaves their waves of notes intricately as one long flow. Almost too much at times and just when you begin to think this, they lay back and drop to a more restrained level for certain sections. The live disc is even more extreme and intense but no less tight and immense in sound. Brotzmann is back to his fire-breathing, riveting and explosive sax playing, for which there is no match, no contender. There are a few solo sax sections that are truly wonderful and distinctive to Brotzmann's unique sound. Hard to believe that it is only the end of January and already we have a contender for the best free/jazz disc of the year!“ (Bruce Lee Gallenter, DMG)

„Zu den grossen Abräumern avancieren Peter Brötzmann, Michael Wertmüller & Marino Pliakas unter dem sprechenden Namen FULL BLAST. Eine Tour de force mit jeder Menge Starkstrom im Popo, Präzision im Hirn und Komplexität insgesamt. Drei Energieträger mit unverwechselbarer Instrumentalbehandlung schonen weder die Umwelt noch sich selbst, kollidieren mit ausgeprägter Lust an der Explosion, befördern als Alchimisten das neuartige Kombinat Metalfreejazz. Dabei gehen sie höchstmöglich differenzierend und ausbalancierend zur Sache, halten das Gleichgewicht zwischen Energieaufwand und Energiegewinn, zwischen Hirn- und Körperschweiss. Umwerfend! “ (FreiStil/Fellinger)

© guy.vandepoel@skynet.be