Peter Kowald

by Joslyn Layne A leading avant-garde musician, German bassist and occasional tuba player Peter Kowald was a long-time member of Globe Unity Orchestra, and has performed and recorded with many other major improvisers, European and American alike. Kowald picked up the bass in 1960, and two years later, started neglecting his other studies and hanging around Peter Brotzmanns studio. The two played Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and more with various drummers, and listened to modern composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Over the years, the two would record together off and on in duos, and as the Cooperative Trio with Andrew Cyrille, among other line-ups. But Kowald was first picked up professionally by Carla Bley and Michael Mantlers band for their 1966 European tour (which also included Brotzmann). After this, Kowald began collaborating with other German musicians and joined the Globe Unity Orchestra, which he would remain a member of for 12 years and 10 albums, composing, conducting and sometimes leading along with Alexander von Schlippenbach. Not long after joining, Kowald was invited to play in the Pierre Favre/Irene Schweizer quartet while on a visit to London, ultimately leading to more involvement with other European and German musicians. From 1973 until the end of his involvement in the Globe Unity Orchestra in 1978, Kowald also played regularly with the Schlippenbach Trio, Evan Parker, and Paul Lovens. Two years after leaving the Globe Unity Orchestra, Kowald became a member of the London Jazz Composers Orchestra until 1985. The great bassist has participated in a wide variety of projects, working with dancers, poets and artists, in addition to other musicians. Kowald has recorded many duos with European, Japanese and U.S. musicians, including bass duets with Barre Phillips, Joëlle Léandre and Barry Guy. While living in Greece, he recorded in groups with Greek musicians Floros Floridis and Ilias Papadopoulos. He also made a number of solo bass recordings, the most recent being Was Da Ist, the result of a self-proclaimed year at home, which ended in May 1995. Kowald also performed in various groups with Fred Anderson, Wadada Leo Smith, and Gunter Sommer, among others. He enjoyed driving and in 2000, went on a solo tour of the U.S., traveling by station wagon. After this tour, he relocated to NYC where he became very involved in the creative music scene. In late September, 2002, the hearts of free music fans everywhere were saddened as news spread that, after a gig in Brooklyn, Peter Kowald died of a heart attack at the home of his friend and fellow bassist William Parker.