WILLEM BREUKER & HAN BENNINK : New Acoustic Swing Duo

'Corbett Vs. Dempsey present a reissue of Willem Breuker and Han Bennink's New Acoustic Swing Duo, originally released in 1967. Late in 1967, saxophonist Willem Breuker and drummer Han Bennink recorded the first LP for the new artist-run free improvised music label, ICP Records. New Acoustic Swing Duo was an instant classic, and remains one of the most enduring documents of Dutch improvised music ever recorded. With Breuker's omnidirectional reed work, which ranges from plaintive to excoriating, occasional sneering tone adds a kind of ironic twist to the expressive outpouring. He could be as explosive as Peter Brotzmann, but Breuker has a razor-sharp wit and sense of humor. Since this recording, Bennink has gone on to be seated among the royalty of jazz and improvised music drummers. At the time, he was a fresh-faced 25-year-old, hauling around increasingly immense kits with heaps of percussion flotsam and jetsam, playing tabla and vibrapan, and sparking it all with tsunami energy. Keep in mind, Coltrane and Ali had just recorded Interstellar Space (which would not be issued until 1974), and the economical drum/sax lineup was by no means yet a standard in improvised music. Shortly after recording this, Breuker and Bennink would join Brotzmann to record Machine Gun (1968), another European free music keystone. Somehow, despite its historical importance and aesthetic magnificence, New Acoustic Swing Duo has never been available as a stand-alone CD. Remastered from original tapes, this reissue includes the original cover with the "ICP 001" hand-stamp, as well as several versions of the handmade covers designed by Bennink, drawn from Mats Gustafsson's wonderful collection. Finally, as a special bonus, the two-disc package includes a legendary concert by Breuker and Bennink, recorded in Essen, Germany, in 1968, released here for the first time.'

Tracklist
- New Acoustic Swing Duo, The Original LP
1-1 Music For John Tchicai 7:45
1-2 Felix Meritis And B.V. 4:35
1-3 I.C.P. 1 For Maarten Derksen 1:40
1-4 Singing The Impalpable Blues 3:15
1-5 Mr M.A. De R. In A. 3:20
1-6 Gamut 21:16
- Live In Essen
2-1 Essen 1 14:54
2-2 Essen 2 9:31
2-3 Essen 3 17:57
2-4 Essen 4 10:39
2-5 Essen 5 10:48
2-6 Essen 6 14:56

Credits
Cover [Cover Design] ? Han Bennink
Design [CD Design] ? David Khan-Giordano
Drums, Kalimba ? Han Bennink (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6)
Drums, Percussion [Bass Drum, Small & Large Tom Toms, Street Parade Drum, Snare Drum, Tabla, Banya, Vibrapan, Homemade Rattles, Cow & Temple Bells, Chinese 7inch Giant Cymbals, Scraper, Chinese Temple Blocks, Hi-hat, Iron And Wooden Sticks], Voice ? Han Bennink (tracks: 1-1 to 1-6)
Engineer ? Gerard Van Beusekom (tracks: 1-1 to 1-6)
Photography By [Interior Spread of Handmade Bennink Cover Designs] ? Ziga Koritnik
Reissue Producer ? John Corbett
Remastered By ? Alex Ingilizian
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet [Eflat], Bass Clarinet, Composed By ? Willem Breuker (tracks: 1-1 to 1-6)
Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet ? Willem Breuker (tracks: 2-1 to 2-6)

Notes
Tracks 1-1 to 1-6 recorded on November 19 and December 10, 1967 at Felix Meritis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Recorded on B & O Beocord 2000 de Luxe, using two Sennheiser MD 421 microphones and BASF tape.
Tracks 2-1 to 2-6 recorded at Jazzclub Podium in Essen, Germany, early June, 1968. All tracks from Essen are previously unreleased (except on an unofficial double CDr from Japan).

Remastered from original tapes, this reissue includes the original cover with the “ICP 001” hand-stamp, as well as several versions of the handmade covers designed by Bennink.
The covers displayed inside the 3 fold package are drawn from Mats Gustafsson’s wonderful collection.