New Acoustic Swing Duo - live in Essen 1968

Due to requests, here is a live date by the duo of Willem Breuker and Han Bennink, known as the New Acoustic Swing Duo. This date was shortly after the release of their album, the first on the new ICP label, pictured above.


1968-06.00 / BREUKER
NEW ACOUSTIC SWING DUO (Willem Breuker & Han Bennink)
Early June 1968 – Essen (Germany), Jazzclub Podium
Willem Breuker ts/as/bcl/cl/ss; Han Bennink d/kalimba.

First Set
1. TENOR & DRUMS (Breuker/Bennink) – 14:54
2. ALTO & DRUMS (Breuker/Bennink) – 9:31
3. BASSCLARINET & DRUMS (Breuker/Bennink) – 17:57

Second Set
4. CLARINET & DRUMS (Breuker/Bennink) – 10:39
5. SOPRANO & DRUMS (Breuker/Bennink) – 10:48 into
6. BASSCLARINET/TENOR & KALIMBA/DRUMS (Breuker/Bennink) – 14:56

Length: 3t/42'42" + 3t/37'35" = 6t/81'
Source: AUD

Breuker switched instruments between each piece. Two sets in all, just a little over 80 minutes. Hard to say what I prefer, but I've always enjoyed Breuker on the bass clarinet and some may recall the duet with John Surman on the "Gittin' to know y'all" album from the Baden Baden Free Jazz Meeting in 1969.

Here's a little description of the setting:


This is an audience recording I've done together with a friend of mine at a small jazz club called "Podium" in Essen (Germany). I've lost the notice with the exact date, but I'm remembering, that the concert took place on the first or second weekend in June 1968. It was a short time after the first LP of this "NEW ACOUSTIC SWING DUO", the first one of the new ICP Label, was issued.

We asked the two young musicians from Amsterdam and were allowed to record the concert. We did it in stereo, with two stage micros and a Revox tape recorder. Just after this concert I did a mono-copy on my own Grundig tape recorder. The flacs are directly from this reel tape.

I lost my friend from view in 1969 and still I was not able to rediscover him to ask for the master tapes. So at the moment it seems, that my copy is the only known master tape of this fantastic concert.

The model for this new group format of a reeds & drums duo probably were the John Coltrane / Rashied Ali Duos recorded in 1967. But the music of the Breuker/Bennink Duo was quiet different and unique.

ENJOY!

This was uploaded to the Dime site about three years ago by "sammler kk" who supplied more goodies from the late 60s from Dutch and German sources. We may get to them later on. So settle into the cozy chair, put up your feet, pour yourself a Scotch (or other drink of your choice) and get prepared for a little swing time. Yes sirree!