GLOBE UNITY: COMPOSITIONS [DEU 1979] LP EN GIRONA

GLOBE UNITY: COMPOSITIONS [DEU 1979] LP GLOBE UNITY: COMPOSITIONS [DEU 1979] LP Globe Unity   "Compositions"  LP (Japo-ECM) 1979  made in Germany cat. num.  JAPO60027 #jazz  #free jazz Nodagoo 6:59 Boa 5:43 Trom-bone-it 5:03 Flat Fleet 7:48 Reflections 8:46 Worms (Dedicated To Ezra Pound) 10:25 The Forge 5:22   One of the earliest large-group endeavors attempted in the European free jazz movement,  the Globe Unity Orchestra  was founded by German pianist  Alexander Von Schlippenbach  in 1966, at first for the specific purpose of performing his composition "Globe Unity," which was commissioned for the Berliner Jazztage. Initially, the 19-piece orchestra combined saxophonist  Peter Brotzmann 's trio and trumpeter  Manfred Schoof 's quintet with a phalanx of other early giants of European free jazz (mostly from Germany); they included, among many others, trombonist  Albert Mangelsdorff, woodwind players  Gunter Hampel  and  Willem Breuker, vibist  Karl Berger, bassists  Buschi Niebergall  and  Peter Kowald, and drummers  Jaki Liebezeit  (of the rock group  Can) and  Sven-Åke Johansson. The initial performance was a historic and rousingly cacophonous success, and  Von Schlippenbach  kept the group going, serving as its musical director for most of the next two decades. Naturally, the membership fluctuated quite a bit; by the early '70s, the group had more of a British presence, with players like guitarist  Derek Bailey, saxophonist  Evan Parker, and trombonists  Malcolm Griffiths  and  Paul Rutherford, plus trumpeter  Kenny Wheeler  and drummer  Han Bennink.  Von Schlippenbach  left for a bit in 1971, but returned the following year, and the group began playing outside of Germany more often beginning in 1974, which also marked the point at which more of their music was preserved on record (much of it on FMP). As the orchestra evolved, it relied less and less on structured arrangements, eventually becoming completely free. However, since a 20th-anniversary celebration and recording session, the group has mostly been silent.