Excellent document of a one-time Brotzmann big-band featuring six clarinettists, including Brotzmann, John Zorn, UK legend Tony Coe, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Louis Sclavis and JD Paran and featuring bassist William Parker, drummer Tony Oxley, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and both Alan Tomlinson and Johannes Bauer on trombone. Live at Jazzfest Berlin, 1984.

Fantastic vinyl reissue of this massively revered side from the inspirational tag-team of saxophonist/clarinettist/pianist Peter Brotzmann and drummer/pianist/bass-clarinettist, viola and banjo player Han Bennink. Originally issued in 1977 on FMP, the record has a classic Brotz title – Half A Dog Can’t Piss – and consist of a bunch of ferociously beautiful live recording from early ’77, with the players moving from roaring post-Fire Music deconstructions to Industrial folk music and the sound of gospelised holy terror that no one else outside of Albert Ayler could ever pull off. Sounds great on 180g vinyl with a limited edition pressing and high quality sleeves. Highly recommended!

Another massively necessary high quality reissue of primo Peter Brotzmann material, this time 1975’s classic Tschus. Here Brotzmann switches between clarinet, alto, tenor and bass sax and vocals while Fred Van Hove is on piano and accordion and Han Bennink uses drums, cymbals, accordion, clarinets, floors, walls, megaphones etc. It’s a ferociously inventive set, a tour-de-force of the boundless possibilities of free improvisation rescued from the hands of musical conservatives, moving from vamping/rasping runs through triumphal brass work through rusty, proto-Industrial free form blow-outs. Simply fantastic, on 180g vinyl in a limited pressing and with gorgeous high-quality sleeves. Highly recommended.  

Beautifully rendered live recording of the world-beating trio of saxophonists Peter Brotzmann, Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark captured by the BBC’s Jazz On 3 for radio broadcast at London’s Cafe OTO in April of 2011. The absence of drums give the music a spectacular hymnal/gospel quality, with three horns testifying in fast, chirruping waves underlined by hypnotic, ululating drones and delicate asides. Indeed, the most striking aspect of the recording is the lightness of touch. You would think with a trio of conceptualists this weighty that the set would be more about monolithic force but there are long passages of beautiful, fluttering blues that seem to have as much to do with Jimmy Giuffre – or even Chet Baker/Terry Riley – as it does to post-FMP wildmanisms. All three players interact with a profound feel for the unravelling of compositions, laying down a slow-moving counterpoint that allows the horns to pirouette higher and higher, circling in bird-like hypnotics and carving spectacularly dramatic arcs of martial melody. A phenomenal set. 180g vinyl, edition of 500 copies.

Full Blast – the trio of saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, electric bassist Marino Pliakas and drummer Michael Wertmuller – released a scalding LP a year or so ago in the form of Crumbling Brain, a side that saw them hook up with Keiji Haino, Peter Evans and Mars Williams. But I was kinda taken aback by the meathead quality of the trio footage that came with the recent Brotz documentary, Solider Of The Road, with Pliakas and Wertmuller playing with alla the higher-minded flexibility of teenage metallers. So blame the director, cause this new album is another primo blat of outside action with the core trio bolstered by Thomas Heberer on trumpet, Ken Vandermark on baritone sax and clarinet and Dirk Rothbrust on percussion and timpani. Sketches And Ballads presents a long-form composition by Wertmuller, inspired by the density of “Sketches Of Spain” and shot through with some beautiful and very affecting passages of all-out weeping balladry. Brotzmann is phenomenal on this, with a wounded tone and a bruised lyrical style that marks this out as a singular recording. There’s an orchestral aspect to the music that confuses world modes with alla the planet-gobbling ferocity of Globe Unity Orchestra and trumpeter Thomas Heberer is on particularly great form, sounding lonesome tattoos that tear teary chunks out of the ceiling. A major statement from this group which kinda hands me my ass on a plate. 180g vinyl, edition of 500 copies.

Full Blast – the trio of saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, electric bassist Marino Pliakas and drummer Michael Wertmuller – released a scalding LP a year or so ago in the form of Crumbling Brain, a side that saw them hook up with Keiji Haino, Peter Evans and Mars Williams. But I was kinda taken aback by the meathead quality of the trio footage that came with the recent Brotz documentary, Solider Of The Road, with Pliakas and Wertmuller playing with alla the higher-minded flexibility of teenage metallers. So blame the director, cause this new album is another primo blat of outside action with the core trio bolstered by Thomas Heberer on trumpet, Ken Vandermark on baritone sax and clarinet and Dirk Rothbrust on percussion and timpani. Sketches And Ballads presents a long-form composition by Wertmuller, inspired by the density of “Sketches Of Spain” and shot through with some beautiful and very affecting passages of all-out weeping balladry. Brotzmann is phenomenal on this, with a wounded tone and a bruised lyrical style that marks this out as a singular recording. There’s an orchestral aspect to the music that confuses world modes with alla the planet-gobbling ferocity of Globe Unity Orchestra and trumpeter Thomas Heberer is on particularly great form, sounding lonesome tattoos that tear teary chunks out of the ceiling. A major statement from this group which kinda hands me my ass on a plate.

Debut vinyl outing from the greatest live music venue in the UK, London’s Cafe Oto: ...The Worse The Better documents a scalding trio set from saxophone titan Peter Brotzmann, bassist John Edwards and drummer Steve Noble recorded in January 2010 during Brotzmann’s first residency. The trio blur into an unstoppable juggernaut right from the start, with Brotzmann’s fiery tone and fleet melodic ability more than matched by Edwards non-stop rolling out of ideas. Even Noble sounds inspired, raining down assaultive rhythms w/uncommon force. A striking label debut, beautifully presented on 180g vinyl with two-colour silkscreen sleeves and card inner. Recommended.