About Me
DRUMMER PEETER UUSKYLA STAYS ON THE CASE NO MATTER WHAT!!!! Tom Hull, The Village Voice, New York City, June 27, 2005 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Brief biography: Peeter Uuskyla was born 6th of August 1951 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Estonian parents. Studies at the University College of Arts Crafts and Design in Stockholm. Improvised multimediashows during the 1970s with Acoustic Sculpture followed by nine years of drumming, touring and recording with Bengt Frippe Nordstroms group: The Environmental Control Office. Another nine year period with the Biggi Vinkeloe Trio touring in Europe and North America and since 1998, off and on, touring and recording, in quartet, trio and duo with the legendary grandfather of European freejazz; Peter Brotzmann. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXFor Peeter Uuskyla music is the tonic that restores the soul and allows him to face whatever menial insults must be endured to pay the rent and stock the fridge. Uuskyla plays raw, existential music that speaks from the gut, from the heart, music that refuses to go quietly, music that speaks of a determination to keep fighting, to keep loving, music of love and rage. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXBORN BROKE is a double-disc duet recording between saxophonist Peter Brotzmann and drummer Peeter Uuskyla. It is a delightful surprise. Those who are used to the incredible fire-breathing blasts of Brotzmanns saxophone, taking on all comers with its fire and velocity,will be quite literally astonished at the range of dynamics here. This pair has been playing together in different contexts for more than ten years. There is a very distinct kind of communication going on here that takes its time in developing, and its due to the intuitive drumming of Uuskyla. He regularly employs circular rhythms, standard blues forms and military march patterns in his methodology; and what you have is much more than the sum of a free jazz pairing. As a result, Brotzmann is allowed a wider emotional and tonal palette to work with. The evidence is in the opening title track on disc one, which begins with a repetitive drum pattern on snare, floor tom and bass drum. The listener is already hooked into the rhythmic structure before Brotzmann enters, and when he does, he flows into the stream of rhythm and adds his own very moving, songlike voice on the tenor (not something usually associated with his playing) and unhurriedly goes through a series of twists, turns, and long and short statements from fast and furious to slow and deliberate, which come out on the other side with his clarinet. The freer playing on "Beautiful But Stupid" reveals that all of the intensity is still there - all of the bleating aggressiveness - but even here thanks to Uuskyla that intense soloing moves along a path and finds ways through it that are not in a straight line, not even in a curved one, but in a series of angles, turnarounds, and multiphonic statements that push the horn all the same. On the final cut on disc one, "Aint Got the Money," Brotzmann channels the big warm tenor sound of Booker Ervin for a moment before moving into Albert Aylers "folk music" territory and heading off for parts unknown. Uuskyla leads as much as follows; he shoots quick ideas inside his own ever-embellished rhythmic frames to offer a place for the saxophonist to explore. That he does not take a furious flailing approach to improvisation on his kit is such a plus that it can not be overstated. He does not lack the power or aggression to hang with the tenor player, but that sense of flow and dynamic is such an important part of the dialogue that he tends to move toward a kind of structural architecture that builds, dissembles, and builds higher. The second disc is one long improvisation, called "Dead and Useless," that lasts almost 40 minutes. It is an utterly astonishing display of energy, creativity, and overall rigor; it will have one exhausted but utterly fulfilled. Highly recommended. Thanks to the continued vision and dedication of the Atavistic imprint, listeners have this music readily available in America./Reviewed by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide, 2008 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPETER BROTZMANN/PEETER UUSKYLA; BORN BROKE, Atavistic ALP185CD, Linernotes by Uuskyla: PETER BROTZMANN asked me to write some notes about me walking the quite hard and dirty road of musicmaking. The liferoad of the one life you have. Been fighting all the time for playing untouchable sounds of simple music, my definition of beauty. Untouchable, therefore powerful. Simple, therefore universal, for everyone. Music that belongs to everybody. Take it or leave it, but you are not able to keep the music only for yourself. That is the strength. Sometimes the struggle is too hard and you just have enough of the terrible conditions around the playing. The lowbudget touring, the stupidity among the curators, the organizers, the ones with power to decide who plays where and what. Geniusgrants killing natural musicmaking because of simple music being just too simple, not being complex and confusing enough. To illustrate bigheaded nonsense with living music makes you fall into a trap where pure joyful musicmaking is forbidden although sold as free jazz, freely improvised, spontaneous, creative music! This is the situation you have to deal with. Days of solidarity and bands kept together are long gone. Replaced by common egopower and loneliness among millions of lonely people in the big cities. You are also alone when making your musical statement. Alone together but still basically alone. Got to be strong to face that kind of reality. My eternal Sisyphusical circle is playing music for the strength to keep going. Nobody tells me anymore what and whom to play with. Not even Peter Brotzmann. He anyway never has. I have always liked his way of making music with his beautiful, deep, total sounding horn. No rehearsals, instead you have to bring yourself together, prepare, get ready, concentrate, pay attention and when time comes take off. That is the way this music is made. Dragan Tanaskovic recorded the small drumkit and the saxophone with his old tube microphones in his large studioroom. Quite a comfortable recording situation. No amplification, not even monitorspeakers or headphones needed for this duo. The punch and the scream, the foundation of natural musicmaking! Living in this complicated, complex and confused society it is most important to make clear and honest statements. PEETER UUSKYLA
