Growing up in musical workshops: Giving in to momentary urges

Mid-February 1972. 14 years old, I am inventing myself as a piano player, a keyboardist. I feel deeply challenged by the recent impression that Free Jazz is harder, goes further, hits deeper than any Prog Rock. I am crushed by Archie Shepp’s ‘Mama Too Tight’, the album borrowed from a friend’s older brother. On the radio show ‘Musik für junge Leute’ (‘Music for young people’) I hear ‘Responsible’ by The Peter Brötzmann Octet. I record it on my cassette player and listen to it over and over again. One week later, on another show they play a short atonal saxophone break. ‘Who blew this horn? For the correct answer, we will give out five tickets for the next Jazz Workshop, on February 28!’