Peter Br: More Nipples

Evan Parker and Brötzmann lay low as the first tune gets underway. Guitarist Derek Bailey is there upfront, his notes dangling, curling and dropping enticingly while drummer Han Bennink is skitterish on top. Into this transcendence of emotion, the swift change of pace and the exchange of ideas that integrate and evolve, comes Fred van Hove who at first lightens the mood with fleet inflections and then in tandem with Buschi Niebergall tightens the woof. Brötzmann comes in on a silent plane, twisting notes, spewing shards. Parker gets into the act, a foil and a companion in passionate duel and conversation.

The two tunes that follow are quartet recordings without Parker and Bailey. Brötzmann is in his element, pumped up and ferocious. He wails, he caterwauls, he ignites long burning lines in his spectrum of sound. And then the rhythm trio take "Fiddle-Faddle" into a sphere of their own as Hove slips into the eye of the vortex and stretches the pulse with melodic intonations that coalesce into hardier permutations. For the final foray, Hove actually sings a happy tune, in stark contrast to what has gone before; and even when Brötzmann comes along, he has a melody and a bluesy feel in his horn. What a wonderful feeling it is! He soon skewers the flow, but the pungency is more controlled until he gets out for a solo that stamps the tempest and the soul of his music. 34 years later, this music is still a vital testament.