The Brotherhood

by Gary Hill
Chris McGregor, a pianist who had formed the Blue Notes in his native South Africa, hatched the idea of the Brotherhood of Breath in his transplanted home of London. The group got its start at the end of the Blue Notes tenure in 1969. This new group was essentially the same band with the addition of several members of the British jazz community. Among the people who were in the Brotherhood were Harry Beckett, Evan Parker, Nick Evans (Keith Tippett Group), Mike Osborn, and Dudu Pukwana (Blue Notes). The first album, Chris McGregors Brotherhood of Breath, came out in 1971. The album augmented the groups live legend in establishing their reputation as one of the up-and-coming new jazz groups. They released their next album, Brotherhood, in 1972. A live album, Travelling Somewhere, was recorded in 1973, but not released until later. The group dissolved in the mid-70s.