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In 1968, Peter Brötzmann convened an octet in Bremen, Germany, to record Machine Gun, which would become one of the defining statements of European free jazz. Close to 30 years later, with help from writer, producer and Chicago scene linchpin John Corbett, he headed up another eight-piece band, later expanded to 10 members, at beloved Windy City club the Empty Bottle. Featuring the cream of Chicago’s avant-jazz crop — including Ken Vandermark, Mars Williams, Jeb Bishop, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Kent Kessler, Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang — plus Swedish reed powerhouse Mats Gustafsson and legendary New York improviser Joe McPhee, the result was the start of a brilliant new chapter for Brötzmann. As heard on this self-titled debut, a three-disc set combining both live and studio performances, the ensemble was equally adept at brash blowouts and more sensitive, atomized improv excursions, and made room for a variety of pieces written by the members, including Vandermark’s action-packed suite “Other Brothers” and Bishop’s “Divide by Zero” which builds from somber theme statements to a hard-swinging, Mingus-worthy climax.