Peter Brötzmann Feature

In the recent passing of Peter Brötzmann, we’ve selected some various Brötzmann recordings from the Malachi Ritscher Collection to share with you on our Soundcloud as we process the sad news.

And thank you to Jason Adasiewicz for sharing some words on Peter below.

From Jason Adasiewicz: There’s a saying that every musician tries to live by “Play like it’s your last show.” It’s easy to embrace the concept but almost impossible to follow. Emotions can get the best of you and switching to autopilot on stage can be a hard mindset to escape from. Peter did not let himself become prey to that. He embodied the mantra “Play like it’s your last show.” Whether it was in a small coffee shop in rural northern Wisconsin in front of 50 super fans or in a giant amphitheater in the city of Ljubljana in front of thousands, Peter brought everything to the table the moment the horn entered his mouth. I was beyond fortunate to share the stage with Peter for his last 4 shows. Along with John Edwards and Steve Noble, we played 2 shows in Warsaw and 2 in London in the beginning of February 2023. The first night in London I met Peter in his hotel room and we walked over together to Café OTO, taking our time on the way and letting Peter set the pace. That night became Peter’s second to last concert and I felt it was his strongest set of the 4 shows. Many tributes I have read recently talk about Peter’s last few years and many paint him as taking longer breaks during concerts, but that was not the case at all with these last 4 shows. After hearing about his passing I sat down and listened to all 4 sets of the 2 London shows and realized my initial thoughts were wrong. The second to last night was not the strongest of the 4 shows. It was the final set of the last night of the tour. His final show. His last date. Truly unbelievable. I will miss you Peter.

Jason Adasiewicz June 26, 2023