Dreaming of the Masters

There’s a town in the German state of Mecklenburg called Prüzen, and a town in what was once known as Pomerania or Pommern (now split between Germany and Poland) called Prützen. Someone from either Prüzen or  Prützen is known as a “Protzmann.”  

The surnames Brötzman and Prützmann derive from Protzmann - a Protzmann named Dieter would be known as “Dieter Brötzman” or “Dieter Prützmann.”  The Americanized form of the names Brötzman and Prützmann is Prutzman.

The free jazz musician Peter Brötzmann was born in Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on March 6, 1941.   He studied painting in Wuppertal and was involved with the Fluxus movement but grew dissatisfied with art galleries and exhibitions. He experienced his first jazz concert when he saw the jazz musician Sidney Bechet while still in school at Wuppertal, and it made a lasting impression.  He taught himself to play the clarinet and then saxophone; he is also known for playing the tárogató, or "Turkish pipe."  

Brötzmann has released over fifty albums as a bandleader and has appeared on dozens more. His Die Like A Dog Quartet (with Toshinori Kondo, William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake) is loosely inspired by saxophonist Albert Ayler, a prime influence on Brötzmann's music.