Peter Brötzmann / Toshinori Kondo / Sabu Toyozumi: Complete Link

Complete Link offers classic Peter Brötzmann, albeit of a modern vintage. The German reed iconoclast combines with two Japanese peers, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and drummer Sabu Toyozumi for almost 70 minutes of fiery live action. Recorded in Japan in 2016, this is their first recording as a trio, although as pioneers in their respective countries, their paths have intersected numerous times in the past. Notably so in the case of Kondo who has acted as a livewire foil to Brötzmann in many settings over the years.

No surprises from the saxophonist at this late stage in his career. His signature vocalized wail launches the album, and thereafter the amalgam of ferocious blowing, broad brush smears and tender vulnerability serves him well. Rather it is Kondo who lends this date a distinctive feel. Although the electronics were there in his Die Like a Dog Quartet days, they are much more prevalent here, to the degree that his sound is more akin to a trumpet-activated synth than the acoustic instrument. While it might be an acquired taste for some, his metallic blares and swirling washes intertwine with Brötzmann's tenor and tarogato in undeniably pleasing fashion at times.

For dedicated followers of the Japanese free scene, there will be nothing unexpected here from Toyozumi either. A veritable free jazz master, he roils, propels and colors with flair, although there is precious little room for subtlety, as the needle shows an inescapable attraction to the red line. Still, moments of calm do occur. And when they do the contrast with the preceding mayhem makes the impact of the mournful, elegiac passages all the more impactful. An especially exquisite example arrives at around the 20-minute mark on the lengthy "First Monorail." Indeed variations on some of Brötzmann's favorite melodies surface at several points. But not often as full stops, more usually as commas presaging an ascent to yet further heights.

With both Brötzmann and Kondo now departed, this set made available through the link between the Chap Chap and NoBusiness imprint, takes on the weight of a memorial, and a worthy one at that.