Linda Sharrock & The Pat Brothers – Pat Brothers No. 1 (CD2052)

One American voice and three Wolfgangs. The Pat Brothers are Wolfgang Puschnig (alto saxophone, flute), Wolfgang Mitterer (keyboards, electronics, sampler) and Wolfgang Reisinger (drums), with American singer Linda Sharrock in front. Their first album was recorded in March 1986 at the studio of Wolfgang Lindner in Furth, Lower Austria. It won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the German Record Critics’ Award.

The sound was well ahead of its time. Mitterer’s Yamaha DX7, Akai sampler and prepared sounds meet Puschnig’s alto screams and flute lines, while Reisinger plays hard, crashing drums underneath. In the middle of it all, Linda Sharrock is the calm centre, with cool narrative vocals and her own lyrics. The album was written by all four members together, plus Puschnig’s “Hymn” and Sharrock’s “Child”. Titles like “Three Short Stories of a Great Politician” and “Alpine Aspects of World Music” show the band’s dry humour. It’s electronic, jazzy, political and playful, somewhere between free jazz, art rock and early sampling culture.

The band produced and mixed the album itself, recorded by Erich Dorfinger, with Burkhard Hennen as executive producer. Released on Moers Music. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

The Side Story

Linda Sharrock came from the heart of the American free jazz scene. Born Linda Chambers in Philadelphia in 1947, she sang in church choirs as a child and performed with Pharoah Sanders in the mid-1960s. In 1966 she married guitarist Sonny Sharrock. Her wild, wordless vocals on his 1969 album Black Woman are still considered legendary. After their divorce she moved to Vienna, where she became Wolfgang Puschnig’s partner in life and in music.

The Pat Brothers grew out of the Vienna Art Orchestra scene. Puschnig was a founding member, and Reisinger played in the orchestra too. Puschnig and Mitterer had already recorded the church organ album Obsoderso (CD2044) for Moers. With Linda Sharrock as their singer, the four created a sound that won over the critics. Sharrock and Puschnig later continued in projects like AM 4 on ECM and Linda Sharrock & The Three Man Band with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, also on Moers Music.

Tracklist

1. Three Short Stories of a Great Politician – 8:24

2. The Window of the World – 6:56

3. Hymn (Puschnig) – 4:20

4. Alpine Aspects of World Music – 2:24

5. Child (Sharrock) – 7:15

6. All I Can Feel Is a Hunger – 7:31

7. Red Top – 6:00

All other compositions by Sharrock, Puschnig, Mitterer and Reisinger. Total running time: approx. 43 minutes

Personnel

• Linda Sharrock – vocals, lyrics

• Wolfgang Puschnig – alto saxophone, flute, synthesizer, voice

• Wolfgang Mitterer – keyboards, electronics, sampler

• Wolfgang Reisinger – drums

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD2052

• Recorded: March 1986, Tonstudio Wolfgang Lindner, Furth (Lower Austria)

• Producer: The Pat Brothers (executive producer: Burkhard Hennen)

• Award: Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik

• Price: €14.00