Association P.C. – Only Grass In My Stomach (In a Life Machine. Live 1972 CD)

Chickadisc, a GAD Records sublabel, presents “In a Life Machine.
Live 1972” – an unreleased concert by the European jazz-rock
legend. Officially licensed by NDR and Pierre Courbois. (The track above is edited, missing bass solo intro).

A 2CD set available at: https://bit.ly/apc-live1972

Tracklist:
1. Erna Morena (58:21)
a) Space Erna
b) Erna In India
c) Erna Aude Maxima
d) Only Grass In My Stomach
e) Schnoor 8
2. Soft Life in a Time Machine (44:39)
3. Frau Theunissen’s Kegel (11:33)

Line-up:
Pierre Courbois (dr), Siggi Busch (b, eb), Toto Blanke (eg),
Jasper van't Hof (ep, org), Henk Naarendorp (perc), Steve
Boston (perc), Gerd Dudek (ss, ts)

Association P.C. is one of the most notable jazz-rock formations from Europe. Beginning as early as 1969, they found themselves in a circle of pioneers, fusing jazz and free-jazz with everything that psychedelic rock evolution brought to the music – heavier sounds, experiments with electronics and crossing the boundaries of classic compositions.

The band was led by Pierre Courbois, Dutch drummer, freejazz aficionado who was already involved in many projects, some of which were released by the legendary New York label ESP Disk. Courbois was joined by Siggi Busch, bassist proficient in both classic and electric bass, guitarist Toto Blanke, a future star of European jazz-rock, and Jasper van’t Hof, electric piano and synthesizer wizard (later replaced by Joachim Kuhn). All of them launched successful careers as solo artists or session musicians.

Over the course of five years, Association P.C. released five albums: “Earwax”, “Sun Rotation”, “Erna Morena”, “Rock Around the C*ck”, and the seminal “Mama Kuku”. Over the years, the group has developed and maintained a distinctive style characterized by a raw, electric sound. Their music leans towards free jazz but is enriched with electronic and genre-defying elements. With ambitious drum and bass playing, distorted strings and keys, and frequent guest solos by saxophone and flute players, they bridged the gap between the early incarnation of Tony Williams Lifetime and the Third to Fifth era of Soft Machine. Their music matches the wildness and ferocity of what you know from the first half of the 1970s, reminiscent of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Larry Coryell, Return to Forever with Bill Connors, Miles Davis’s band with Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, and the English band Isotope.

Yet, Association P.C. remains greatly overlooked, as most of their material hasn’t seen widely available physical reissues or isn’t available through streaming. Therefore, it is an incredible pleasure and honor for Chickadisc to present a previously unpublished concert, showcasing their unbelievable skills and ideas in their entirety. The material for “In a Life Machine” comes from May 17, 1972, recorded just a few weeks after the live “Erna Morena” album. It was captured in Recklinghausen, Germany, during the 80th edition of the famous NDR Workshop, a musical meeting led by the phenomenal vibraphonist Michael Naura. As always during these events, the band was enhanced by guest musicians—this time featuring veteran free-jazz saxophonist Gerd Dudek and percussion duo Henk Naarendorp and Steve Boston.