with text Michael Thiem (1977)Info sheet 25. Free ConcertThe “Free Concert” series has been held regularly since 1972 as a collaboration between the Charlottenburg Youth Promotion and the musicians' organization Free Music Production. In recent years, the following musicians and groups have played at various locations in Charlottenburg Town Hall:
PRESS REVIEWS Spandauer Volksblatt: “Admission is free. It is very welcome that municipal activities are also moving in this direction.” Der Tagesspiegel: “The district office is organizing a free concert at Charlottenburg Town Hall on Otto-Suhr-Allee on Wednesday at 8 p.m. According to a statement by the City Councilor for Youth and Sports, Fahrun, the purpose of this event is to give young people the opportunity to experience the town hall atmosphere in a different way.” Berliner Morgenpost: “The Free Music Production town hall concerts, which have often been successful due to their special atmosphere, are continuing. With free admission, playing...” "For the eighth time, Free Music Production organized a concert in the foyer of Charlottenburg Town Hall. And for the eighth time, it was a complete success for everyone involved. Without any special advertising for this free concert, 600 listeners attended, sitting on chairs or squatting on the floor in a relaxed atmosphere, enjoying the music of the Schlippenbach Quartet." Jazz Podium: “The Free Concert on the second floor of Charlottenburg Town Hall has now become an integral part of Berlin's jazz scene – free in two senses: firstly, admission is free, as the costs are covered by the Charlottenburg district office; secondly, the music is free, as the artistic direction is in the hands of Free Music Production, whose name stands for a program.”
Michael Thiem: FREE MUSIC IN FRONT OF THE OFFICE — OFFICE MUSIC? On the 25th Free Concert at Charlottenburg Town Hall Time: Wednesday evening, around 8 to 10 p.m., on average 5 times a year. Location: Otto-Suhr-Allee 100, Berlin 10, a building that is normally deserted and silent at this time of day. During the day, the background noise at Otto-Suhr-Allee 100 is dominated by clattering typewriters, banging stamps, and the chugging of computers. Anyone who climbs the steps to the mezzanine floor on these Wednesday evenings and lets the swing door swing shut behind them is greeted by a diffuse jumble of sounds, refracted and reflected many times, distorted by the walls on their way from the source of the sound to the ears of the person who has just entered. The athletically ambitious climb the stairs to see the origin of what they have just heard, while the more comfortable take the elevator, press button 3, and let themselves be transported to the third-floor lobby. There, for example, Evan Parker stands on one leg in a stork-like posture, blowing minute-long sequences of notes on his soprano saxophone and sending them out into the audience and toward the high vaulted ceiling that reflects every sound. Evan Parker plays in City Hall Charlottenburg is not chamber music. Evan Parker does not have a music stand in front of him. Evan Parker makes freely improvised music. Since 1972, 24 concerts have been held in Charlottenburg Town Hall. The Free Concert has become as much a part of the improvised music scene in our city as the established Berlin Jazz Days in the Philharmonie, now inextricably linked to the Total Music Meeting, the alternative to philharmonic art, which has been filling the Quartier Latin for years. At Easter, the Academy of Arts invites guests to a free music workshop, and in summer, 6 to 8 times in the garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie, as long as no dark clouds herald rainfall. At the beginning of October 1977, the 25th Free Concert will take place at Charlottenburg Town Hall, an anniversary that is now to be celebrated over two evenings, an event that need not hide behind the big names. And when a concert series is preparing for its 25th anniversary, it is worth looking back on its continuity, or rather taking stock, because continuity should not come to an end with the anniversary. Although the Free Concerts at Charlottenburg Town Hall were mentioned earlier in the same breath as the other jazz events, they are incomparable in character in several respects. The town hall concerts are spread throughout the year; they are neither seasonal nor linked to a fixed, recurring date. Furthermore, the town hall concerts are the only series of events that take place in a location that is not automatically associated with the arts or music. People only enter a town hall or government office when they have to, when they want to register a car or renew their ID card, or for some unpleasant financial matter – usually involving paying money. Actually, people are glad when they are back outside again, at least that's how I feel. And the younger population is even less likely to be seen in town halls anyway.
The idea of holding free concerts on the third floor of Charlottenburg Town Hall arose from the desire to encourage young people to take a look inside a town hall. The concerts are “free” in two respects: firstly, admission is free — unlike so many other events, this one does not target the usually slim wallets of its audience — and secondly, the program features uncompromisingly free music. The combination of these two elements was made possible by the fruitful collaboration between the Charlottenburg District Office, Department of Youth and Sports, and Free Music Production. This unique idea grew into a permanent institution that quickly blossomed into an equal and natural part of Berlin. The name of the musicians' association, FMP, reflects the music that is heard there and is almost comparable to a guarantee. March 24, 1972. For the first time, guests were invited to “Free Music in Free Concert” in the foyer on the third floor of Charlottenburg Town Hall, with music provided by the “Quintet” around pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. The concert proved to be such a resounding success that a repeat performance was considered. At the time, none of those involved dared to imagine, let alone dream, that there would be 23 of them to date. Looking back today, almost all of the important musicians responsible for the independent development of European “free music” have performed at Charlottenburg Town Hall – names such as Peter Brötzmann, Alex Schlippenbach, Han Bennink, and Irene Schweizer are representative of the many who have provided valuable impetus for making music together. So what does “free music” mean? Free music is freely improvised music whose roots can be traced back to the “free jazz” of the 1960s, which, like all jazz developments up to that point, came to us from the United States, but which was no longer replayed or copied, but rather planted in its own, unique European context. A striking sign of this is the inclusion of all kinds of elements from the European musical tradition in the improvisational process—suddenly you hear waltzes, marches, folk song themes, music that you are more accustomed to hearing in variety shows or at fairs. Only no one says, “Let's march in 3/4 time now”; instead, it happens in the moment of spontaneous interaction, and the seemingly predetermined material is re-improvised and reworked. There are quite a few people who have played at City Hall over the years, musicians who are on everyone's lips and can hardly keep up with their schedules, such as Albert Mangelsdorff, who now holds a subscription to first place in the annual polls for the world's best jazz trombonist, but also musicians who are still unknown here, such as the Finns Sakari Kukko and Teppo Hauta-Aho, who performed together with the Christmann/Schönenberg duo. Premieres were celebrated at Charlottenburg Town Hall, where the Berlin Jazz Ensemble, a sextet of young musicians based in Berlin led by Alexander von Schlippenbach, made its debut (youth promotion on two fronts here), Other formations made their Berlin debut at the town hall, such as the Stuttgart brass trio “Blow” – consisting of trumpeter Herbert Joos, trombonist Wolfgang Czelusta, and clarinetist and saxophonist Bernd Konrad – the Austrian/Swiss duo Radu Malfatti/Stefan Wittwer, and the new Buschi Niebergall Trio from Frankfurt. Musically, of course, all sorts of things happened. One evening, the quartet led by American Frank Wright almost shook the venerable walls with their hot, almost frenzied jazz, while on another evening, Heiner Goebbels and Alfred Harth from Frankfurt put together a program based on German folk songs. At times, “Blow” moves into the realm of new music, at others Han Bennink strolls up and down the steps drumming. Hans Reichel plays church tower on his homemade guitar, Gunter Hampel tells everyday stories on his various instruments, Peter Brötzmann almost screams his lungs out, while the Manfred Schoof Quintet plays out forms of new lyricism in jazz. There is a lot going on at the Free Concerts in Charlottenburg Town Hall, and something different happens every time. The musical journey opens up whole new worlds. And the town hall concerts are met with a noticeable response from jazz fans, with a regular audience of 300 to 400 people turning up regularly, often more—those who arrive late have to settle for standing room. The relaxed atmosphere under the high vaulted ceiling, where the audience sits casually in a semicircle around the musicians, also contributes significantly to the success of the evenings in the town hall.
Yes, and Rathaus music is also available on record, another indication of the importance of this concert series. Recordings from there can be found on Günter Christmann and Detlef Schönenberg's “Remarks.” The second part of the concert from February 16, 1977, is reproduced in its entirety on the recently released “John Tchicai plus Albert Mangelsdorff.” After John Tchicai, who had already collaborated with John Coltrane on his groundbreaking free jazz work “Ascension” in 1965, captivated the audience with improvisations on simple, song-like motifs on his saxophones and an oriental wooden flute, he joined Albert Mangelsdorff, who demonstrated the fine art of polyphonic trombone playing in the first part of the concert, for a spontaneous duo that was equally fascinating and provided another highlight of the evening, even though the two had never played together as a duo before. An album with material from the Christmann/Schönenberg/Kukko/Hauta-Aho Quartet's guest performance in Finland is also due to be released shortly, and three days after the town hall performance, “Blow” recorded an album at “Flöz.” However, the recordings used for the records come from the adjacent hall, which is sometimes available, and these are only possible there because of the better acoustics. The significantly better acoustics in the hall come at the cost of losing the typical atmosphere of the foyer. And so the upcoming free concerts in Charlottenburg Town Hall will continue to be held mainly in the open foyer. We wish the next 25 concerts all the best! ORIGINAL DOCUMENT from 1977 (german only). © |