Brotherhood of Breath

English South African big band

The Brotherhood of Breath was an English South African big band established in the late 1960s by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band, The Blue Notes.

The Brotherhood of Breath included many members of the South African expatriate community resident in London, including McGregor himself, Louis Moholo, Harry Miller, Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana, (occasionally) Johnny Dyani; and many of the free jazz musicians who were based in London at the same time. The group included, at various stages, Lol Coxhill, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Harry Beckett, Marc Charig, Alan Skidmore, Jim Dvorak, Mike Osborne, Elton Dean, Nick Evans, and John Surman. The personnel was fluid, depending on who was available. The music resembles a mixture of Charles Mingus and the experiments of Sun Ra, but retains a unique feel due to the South African influences and the intelligent arrangements. The original Brotherhood Of Breath ended in the late 1970s, with the deaths of Mongezi Feza and Harry Miller (whose label, Ogun Records, released some of the Brotherhood's albums). McGregor formed a second version of the group in France in the early 1980s, adding European musicians, including a number of French jazz musicians (François Jeanneau, Louis Sclavis, Jean Claude Montredon, Didier Levallet). In 1987, a third edition was formed with African and British musicians such as Annie Whitehead. In this incarnation the music was more tightly arranged and controlled, with less free improvisation.