A previously unheard recording by the Pierre Favre Trio, captured in Zurich in 1968 and preserved in the drummer’s personal archive for more than five decades, is set to be released for the first time, with the title track now available to stream ahead of the album’s release.
Entitled Bird Food, the album was recorded live at Radio Studio Zurich on 19 February 1968 and is now considered the earliest known document of the trio, predating what had long been regarded as its debut recording by nearly seven months.
The tape remained undiscovered in Pierre Favre’s archive for 57 years before being uncovered by Favre and trombonist and producer Samuel Blaser while reviewing historic recordings.
The trio features Swiss drummer Pierre Favre alongside pianist Irène Schweizer and bassist Jiří Mráz, who later became known internationally as George Mraz following his move to the United States. Mraz went on to establish a distinguished career, performing and recording with artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz and Tommy Flanagan.
Born on 2 June 1937 in Le Locle, Switzerland, Favre is regarded as one of the most influential European jazz percussionists of the post-war era. Initially active as a drummer in mainstream and modern jazz settings, he became a leading figure in the development of European free improvisation from the late 1960s onwards. Favre is particularly noted for his highly textural approach to percussion, treating the drum kit as a source of colour and timbre as much as rhythm. Over a career spanning more than six decades he has worked with musicians including Peter Kowald, Evan Parker, Paul Bley and Marilyn Crispell.
Among PF’s most acclaimed recordings are Drum Conversation and Singing Drums. His influence extends across both jazz and the broader improvised domain, where he is recognised for expanding the expressive possibilities of percussion.
Pianist Irène Schweizer (1941-2024) was one of the central figures in European free jazz and improvised music. Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, she emerged in the 1960s as a pioneering voice whose playing combined the energy of free jazz with influences drawn from stride piano, Thelonious Monk and contemporary classical music. Schweizer played a key role in establishing a distinct European improvised music tradition and was also an important advocate for women in jazz.
Collective wisdom
The release which is out this Friday comprises four tracks spread across 29 minutes, including exhilarating Ornette Coleman Change of the Century (Atlantic, 1960) piece ‘Bird Food’ and three compositions by Schweizer: ‘Sounds II’, ‘Hinten’ and ‘The Attack’ (a daring tune also rendered with a different trio on a late-1970s dated recording called Early Tapes.)
The upcoming recording captures the group in an early phase of its development, exploring a style rooted in free-jazz while emphasising collective interplay and improvisation.
The physical edition presents the complete documentation of the 1968 session, originally produced by Swiss Radio and Television (SRF). The release is being issued by Songs, a label of Blaser Music, with the free-jazz and ska loving Blaser serving as executive producer.
