Peter Kowald
Peter Kowald (* April 21, 1944 in Masserberg; † 21 September 2002 in New York ) was a German double bassist and tuba player in the area of free jazz and improvised music.
Life and work
Common game with the Wuppertal Peter Brötzmann (Machine Gun), then soon also in trio with Irène Schweizer and Pierre Favre, even his own groups, from the beginning in the Globe Unity Orchestra, also in smaller formations with Alexander von Schlippenbach, with whom he collaborated the Free Music Production is based. Early entertained Kowald intensive contacts with improvisers from England, Belgium, from Holland and Barre Phillips, who gives him a significant boost to his game on the double bass. Kowald collaborated with a large number of improvisers together - such as Karl Berger, William Parker, Keith Tippett, Floros Floridis, Joëlle Léandre and Evan Parker. Again and again he worked with other bassists and documented this duo; continued he took on four disks / CDs for solo double bass. The Group Principle Life (1990 ) extended the collaboration of two bassists (besides Kowald Klavs Hovmann ) to the drummer and pianist Marilyn Mazur and singer Jeanne Lee. Kowald was beyond a trio with Conny Bauer and Günter " Baby" Sommer. With summer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, he undertook in the late 1970s, extensive European tours. In the early 1980s he lived in a Buddhist monastery and learned the Mongolian throat singing.
In addition, Peter Kowald interdisciplinary worked with visual artists, poets, and especially with dancers. Here are especially Gerlinde Lambeck, Anne Martin (formerly Pina Bausch ensemble), Tadashi Endo, Patricia Parker (who was also involved in the establishment of the Vision Festival ), Maria Mitchell, Sally Silvers, Cherly Banks (formerly Sun Ra Arkestra ), Arnette de Mille, Sayonara Pereira to mention Barbara Heinisch ( painter ) and Kazuo Ohno. His ballet works include " The action of the Empress " (1989) with Pina Bausch, "short pieces" (since 1989) with Jean Sasportes, "The spirit of adventure" (1990 ) with Anastasia Lyra, " water in hand " (1990/ 91) with Christine Brunel and " Futan no Sentaku / The burden of choice" (1990/ 91) with Min Tanaka and Butch Morris.
In addition to the Duoarbeit with singers such as Jeanne Lee, Diamanda Galas or Sainkho Namtchylak To him this seems the international Improviationsensemble " Global Village Ensemble" a center of the work, the core of the violinist Gunda Gottschalk beside him and the Chinese zither specialist Xu Fengxia formed; where he worked with musicians from different cultural regions of the world such as Far East, North America, South America together. His solo CD " What Is There " was in the " Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD" with the highest award, a crown, as Brötzmann provided outstanding album "Machine Gun ", in which he participated. Kowald was awarded the 1995 Albert Mangelsdorff Prize as representative of a global, differences appreciative art of improvisation.
Kowald spoke 10 languages. He also left a remarkable art collection. His three -month tour in 2000 by numerous small and large cities in the United States, which he undertook alone with a pickup truck, is the subject of a documentary.
Auswahldiskographie
Filmography
Against the Grain The musician Peter Kowald, WDR 1986 ( film by Anne Linsel, including Barbara Heinisch )
Off the Road, Peter Kowald 's U.S. tour in 2000, 002 video (Sales FMP)