Sounding like it was lifted from the middle of the 2011 Lisbon concert this album documents, Snakelust (to Kenji Nakagami) begins so unceremoniously you almost have to laugh. If you woke up saxophonist Peter Brötzmann in the middle of the night and pushed him onto a stage, this is what he would sound like: in full squall, feeding off the clamorous energy of his band and pulling his listeners into the eye of his improvisational storm. He’s leading Hairy Bones, including his longtime collaborator Toshinori Kondo on trumpet and electronics, electric bassist Massimo Pupillo and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. Thirteen minutes into the single 53-minute piece, the music calms down for a stretch of dusky lyricism punctuated by Kondo’s Miles-ish effects. Brötzmann waxes melodic on the tarogato a bit later. But Snakelust mostly features the band in an eruptive mode, sustaining interest through the sheer force of its playing and the ability to find new ripples of emotion when you least expect them.
Originally PublishedHairy Bones: Snakelust (To Kenji Nakagami)
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