He is one of the founding fathers of European free jazz: for decades, Alexander von Schlippenbach has followed his own path, playing piano, composing, and leading bands. This documentary paints a deeply personal portrait, highlighting both biographical ruptures and new beginnings. It traces Schlippenbach’s journey into the musician collective of the now-legendary Free Music Production (FMP), for whom free jazz meant emancipation—not only from musical conventions but also from the political establishment.
As the film makes clear, free jazz was seen by many as the musical embodiment of the 1968 movement. A sounding model of democracy, where all voices stand equally side by side—a principle Schlippenbach took to the extreme with his Globe Unity Orchestra, even though he always saw himself as a musician rather than a political activist.