American Landscapes 1 and 2 are live dates from 2006. While there have been a few personnel changes since the original line-up—trombonist Hannes Bauer replacing Jeb Bishop and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love replacing Hamid Drake—the core Tentet has remained intact. Both discs are comprised of a single track, clocking in at respectively about 44 and 52 minutes. Both discs are difficult to digest as single entities: attacking them as longer composed/improvised pieces linked by changes allows you better to appreciate the whole.
Nearly 30 minutes into this first disc, Brotzmann brings one of many cathartic releases forth as everyone lays out except the drummers. The forward motion pauses as cymbals are scraped and snares teased. Bassist Kent Kessler then makes a remark eliciting probing thrusts from saxophone and cello, some forming a duo with Ken Vandermark playing an Evan Parker-like series of chirping notes.