Ernst-Ludwig (“Luten“) Petrowsky (1933 – 2023)

Ernst-Ludwig (“Luten“) Petrowsky. Photo by Herbert Weisrock.

By Martin Schray

When the legendary saxophonist, flutist and clarinetist Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky had to undergo several surgeries in 2017, his fans were afraid that he wouldn’t be able to play anymore. Although he was recovering according to his wife, singer Uschi Brüning, he was not in good shape. For many years he was having problems with his hip, which is why he had to use a walking stick, during concerts he even had to sit. Now, after long illness, the doyen of East German free jazz has sadly passed away.

Ernst-Ludwig (“Luten“) Petrowsky was one of the founding fathers of free jazz in the former German Democratic Republic, the one with the longest history. Since 1957 he worked as a musician in different formations although - in contrast to most of the GDR musicians - Petrowsky was self-taught (in order to get a permission to play gigs in the GDR one usually had to graduate from a music school). He made his first excursions into free jazz in the 1960s with his band Studio IV, and in the Seventies he co-founded Synopsis (with Ulrich Gumpert on piano, Günter “Baby“ Sommer on drums and Conny Bauer on trombone) and recorded Auf der Elbe schwimmt ein rosa Krokodil (FMP/Intakt), one of the standout East-German free jazz albums. In general, the collaboration with Western German musicians and the FMP label were excellent which resulted in the release of seminal albums like Selbdritt and Selbviert (with bassist Klaus Koch and trumpeter Heinz Becker, the latter also with Günter Sommer on drums). In addition, he was a long-standing member of Alexander von Schlippenbach’s Globe Unity Orchestra. After the fall of the wall, Petrowsky worked in various formations, with Uschi Brüning (their duos Das Neue Usel and Features of Usel are also outstanding), with drummer Michael Griener, as part of the group Ruf Der Heimat and many others.

What made Petrowsky so special was the fact that he couldn’t be pigeon-holed, the integration of various elements was typical of his style: He could breathe fire like Peter Brötzmann but he could also “sing“ and swing, with phrasing and timbre that could change radically, as circumstances require. Ornette Coleman and Charlie Parker were obvious influences, as well as German folk songs: he always considered himself a traditionalist. The German author Ekkehard Jost described his playing as “unique, although his sound cannot be categorized easily, his flexibility being his most important parameter“. “Selb-Dritt“ on Selbviertmight be considered a typical Petrowsky piece, as well as “Usel’s Bird“ on Features of Usel.

At the end of his career he reached new heights with the help of musicians that could be his sons and grandsons. The New Old Luten Quintet, a super group instigated by pianist Oliver Schwerdt, including two bassists (John Edwards and Robert Landfermann) and drummer Christian Lillinger, was a prime example of collective improvisations, rhythmic and harmonic variety, the assimilation of traditional elements, and Petrowsky’s solos as the icing on the cake. Robert Landfermann once told me that - after an awesome gig - Petrowsky stated with a mischievous smile: “We have played some decent music, haven’t we?“ As if they had played a polka on a local fair.

I saw Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky twice, once with the famous Zentralquartett (actually Synopsis, but after the first two albums they changed their name) in Stuttgart in 2012 and as a member of the Globe Unity Orchestra in Hamburg in 2014. His solos were the highlights of both gigs, it was breathtaking to see a man who was obviously not in the best health condition playing such exciting music. It’s just sad to know that he’s not around anymore. Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife and his family.

If you want to get an impression what a great musician “Luten" Petrowsky was check out Selbviert and Selbdritt on the destination:out store website.

Watch him with Ruf der Heimat at a concert in Berlin 2015: