Brotzmann / Miller / Moholo

The Nearer The Bone, The Sweeter The Meat [VINYL]

Label: Cien Fuegos Country: Austria

"Saxophone terrorist Peter Brötzmann brought this group to the 1979 FMP Festival in Berlin and was promptly accused of retrenching; the sound of the trio hearkened back to the solid feel of black free jazz rather than splintering the brain with the seeming anarchy of the European free jazz scene of the time. The late bassist Harry Miller and drummer Louis Moholo both have South African roots and busily provided rhythm section support, together and in a variety of other combinations, for many different European players of a variety of persuasions.

While listeners of the time might have felt Brötzmann was holding something back, the performance actually predicts the saxophonist's later activity, especially his '90s collaboration with players such as Hamid Drake and William Parker. While much of the European scene at the time veered toward inexplicable intensity, this performance is reminiscent of players such as Pharoah Sanders, with a slow, steady build toward a musical inferno guided by a similar feeling of intense spirituality. Live recording of the concert is quite good, with drummer Moholo perhaps a trifle under-miced, with highlights including the title piece and "Kucken Und Drucken," both extended performances."-Eugene Chadbourne, All Music