13. Bill Laswell & Peter BrötzmannLow Life
I don’t think I could ever compile a list of influences without mentioning this specific record. It was the thing I heard when I was 18 or 19 that made me want to play bass saxophone. It transcended the instrument, for me. At that point I’d played alto, tenor and baritone but this sparked a will to go deeper, bigger and heavier. The prospect of having an even more challenging relationship with the apparatus felt lustful after hearing this.
You can hear hear in it a lot of the sounds I’m using today when I’m playing saxophone – including the way the multiphonics are expanded to sound aggressive and overblown. What these two musicians were able to do together goes far beyond the usual vibe and character of improvised music. That essence proved more influential on me than anything else at the time. It’s still one of those things I’ll listen to regularly. It’ll get at least a play every months… and it’s been 24 years now!
