The name Fred Van Hove is not spoken as often or in as rabidly reverent tones as those of Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker or Han Bennink. But it was Van Hove who attacked the piano keys alongside those free-jazz pioneers on Brötzmann’s legendary 1968 recording Machine Gun, which led the charge into a more visceral, intense brand of improvisation. Van Hove spent the early 1970s in a trio with Brötzmann and Bennink before dedicating himself to nurturing the creative music scene in his native Belgium. In the ensuing years he performed with legends like Steve Lacy and Albert Mangelsdorff, but largely fell to the periphery of free-music consciousness due to his lack of touring. This Ars Nova Workshop performance is therefore an extremely rare and valuable opportunity to witness one of the music’s progenitors in a solo setting.
Sat., Nov. 10, 8 p.m., $15, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., arsnovaworkshop.com.
