Live at Cafe Oto is a scorching session by a band comprised of fiery free stalwarts Peter Brötzmann, drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, Pat Thomas on piano, and secret weapon Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello. These four create a holy ruckus, each equally leader and sideman, and each integral to the centrifugal force generated.
Lonberg-Holm, however, continually steals the show. He successfully utilizes the full frequency range of his instrument, filling in the bottom end with rumbling, melodic lines or channeling Sonny Sharrock when playing in the higher register, not to mention occasionally augmenting his output with electronics. His raging performances on each track are nothing short of exhilarating.
His companions are startlingly inventive as well. Nilssen-Love's propulsive attack emanates energy at all volumes and tempos, while Thomas's piano spits out frantic, precise runs and giant dissonant chords ŕ la Cecil Taylor. Last but not least we have Brötzmann, whose caterwauling saxophone blankets the audience with thick layers of soaring melodic phrases and surly percussive banter.
The group creates space throughout the set by breaking down into duos and trios. At one point in Part 1 Nilssen-Love switches to brushes and wrestles with the cello in a tumbling meltdown. Following this a duo between piano and cello emerges with Lonberg-Holm turning on distortion that creates a thick ooze of modulating low end. Part 3 begins with a cello solo that turns into a duet with Brötzmann. Eventually they are joined by free drums and piano that saunters in with evenly spaced eighth notes. This devolves into solo drums with Harry Partch-like sonorities as his whole kit suddenly sounds cavernous and metallic. Part 4 begins with unaccompanied sax that stops about two notes short of a blues phrase. Piano adds tentative chords that give way to cymbal wash and plucked cello that somehow sounds like it's backwards. A classic Free Jazz riot ensues with crashing drums and cello bowing a screeching non-melody. When Brötzmann returns, the quartet ascend to harmonic bliss and full rhythmic overload that closes this set just as it began with screaming, unabashed freedom. These are just a few examples of the remarkable moments to be heard on this disc, reaffirming how insanely good this band is and adding up to one fantastic record.
Comments and Feedback:
|