ALPHA NOSTALGIA

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Sensurreal

It is a huge honour to publish Peter Brotzmann’s final concerts on OTOROKU. When we invited Peter to do a residency at Cafe OTO back in February 2023 we had no idea these would be his last ever shows and he played with such power it would have been hard for anyone present to believe he would never play publicly again.

Recorded over two nights this grouping of Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums feels especially resonant and personal to Cafe OTO. The first time Peter performed at the venue back in 2010 it was in a trio with John and Steve, (released as The Worse The Better kick starting our in-house record label) so it feels fitting that the last shows he ever played here should also have that trio at its core.

The quartet last played together at OTO back in 2013, (released as Mental Shake on OTOROKU), and Brotzmann humbly opened the return of the group saying, "it's a pleasure to be back” before launching straight into a long blast on the alto sax, swiftly met by the relentless energy and engagement of Adasiewicz, Edwards and Noble.

There are moments of tenderness to Brotzmann’s playing that feels specific to this small group - one that cuts across three generations - and in a space that’s come to feel like home. Of course, there is dizzying, forceful, singleminded playing, but even amongst a relentless chorus of cymbal splashes and busy vibraphone clusters the lyrical, spacious moments are savoured and held onto. As he remarked after at the end of the group's first visit to OTO, “the Quartet is, for us, a great adventure.”

Peter clearly wanted to play to the end. Did he know these might be his last shows? We will never know. What is clear is he wanted to go out in style and on his terms. For anyone in the room at the time or listening to these recordings it’s clear he achieved that.

It was Peter’s wish that these recordings should be made public and he was due to finalise the cover design on the week he passed away. We would like to thank Peter’s family for working with us to fulfil Peter’s wishes to release this material but more than anything we would like to thank Peter for all the extraordinary memories, his generosity and all he has given the music. On a personal level for us, like so many, he meant a huge amount and we miss him deeply.

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Peter Brotzmann / reeds 
John Edwards / double bass 
Steve Noble / drums 
Jason Adasiewicz / vibraphone 

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ROKU033 - Peter Brotzmann / Jason Adasiewicz / Steve Noble / John Edwards - The Quartet [sample]

Peckage

131_10

wath branton harlot

Original Track By::::
https://soundcloud.com/user-364196783-552705040/descending-pearls

Photo by Ivons

Wodwo - Descending Pearls (Senglar Rmx)

The haunting sound of shakuhachi flutes, played by Zen Buddhist monks in Kyoto with each note representing a resonant, meditative breath, is available for Flac and MP3 download on my blog:
https://music-republic-world-traditional.blogspot.com/2025/05/japan-japon-japanese-masterpieces-for.html

Japanese  Masterpieces for the Shakuhachi

This is a collaboration between the music producer LO and video artist DAPA Vision. Their creative efforts has resulted in a 40 minute VHS, released in limited edition (naturally) on Stålverk Records. Lo created the conteplative music, with its characteristic vinyl crackle, and DAPA Vision did the moving pictures with inspiration from mundane, everyday moments and TV static, a.k.a. "war of the ants". It was premiered at Gästrike konst (art festival) in april 2025.

LO + DAPA Vision - In Lokalen 3

背中 - my back

the idea of northern

around and around the beside

As you can imagine we are under huge pressure at the moment and are working flat out to ensure Cafe OTO survives this. The impact of this situation is extremely acute for small venues like ours and we need all the support we can get to pull through. Please donate what you can, if you can. Thank you. 

Cafe OTO opened in April 2008 with the aim of providing a home for creative new music that exists outside of the mainstream. It comprises one large cafe/performance space open during the day serving food and drink with an evening programme of live music almost seven nights a week. 

OTOROKU is part of OTOProjects - a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) that has been set up to manage the programme at Café Oto. Any profits from OTOROKU are put back into supporting what we do and will help us to continue programming the best musicians and performers from all over the world.

www.cafeoto.co.uk

ROKU033 - Peter Brotzmann / Jason Adasiewicz / Steve Noble / John Edwards - The Quartet [sample]

cafeOTO

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