Brain Of The Dog In Section, The

Improv free jazz, intense duets between Brotzmann's sax and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and electronics. Granted, Brotzmann is usually loud, fast, and forceful, but here he sounds freshly on the attack (and this guy thinks so too: http://www.freejazz.org/?q=node/2616). Lonberg-Holm keeps up with an array of tough-handed plucking or sawing on the cello.

The ferocity here is cool to hear, but do they overdo it at the expense of real musical communication and storytelling? I enjoyed the album, but here's a dissenting opinion: http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2008/11/on-nature-of-musical-substance.html

1- (13:52) Squealing and brash opening gives way to slower big/loud lines. Goes through a choppy electronics/sax interlude before a blowout ending of intense/fast sax and hard cello bowing.

2- (19:39) Less direct, more sophisticated. Opens with careful but aggressive stepping: Brash scribbles that still leave plenty of white space. After 6 minutes, it calms into a rough rustle.

A quieter middle section lets sad cello get more of the spotlight, creating nearly a classical drone. Some solo spaces for cello/electronics and tunefully screechy, restrained sax. Then, the fierceness returns for the coda: Full blast sax and guitar-amp-distorted cello (free jazz goes rock star). Glorious, tense ending.

3- (4:22) Fast, with a slightly bitter tone that's different from the other tracks. Mood-wise, it's another hard frontal assault.