Bassist and drummer mesh supremely well, such that Br?tzmann initially seems in danger of sounding like a guest on his own recording. Certainly the instrumentation and biting attack of the group may appeal to rock fans who might find the Chicago-based large ensembles Br?tzmann leads too dense and plain damn jazzy to handle.ĭon’t think, however, that the Blast First rhythm section are in any way two-dimensionally rockist. Black Hole is no classic, but it is a worthwhile addition to the Br?tzmann canon and may appeal to new listeners. Most importantly, by limiting his saxophone outings Br?tzmann allows this music space to breath and enables Blast First to forge a distinct identity. Although occasional moments in tracks such as Atlas have a post-Ayler quality that Br?tzmann’s followers will have come to anticipate, his approach to the clarinet throughout this recording is fresh and compelling.
It’s a welcome reminder of the subtlety that Br?tzmann routinely displays on his solo and duo recordings a subtlety that his presentation - everything from the dark monochrome art that Br?tzmann himself creates to adorn his packaging to his personal physical solidity, the Teutonic beard, the iron lungs, the inescapable legacy of those cornerstone early 70s recordings (Nipples, Fuck da Boer) - tends to obscure. After a blustering opening number that does little more than deliver the anticipated Br?tzmann in a slightly new context, his horn skating over the fractious intensity of Marino Pliakas’ electric bass and Michael Wertmuller’s drums, this track, Suzy, makes Blast First sound less predictable. Two tracks into this, the second CD from his Blast First trio, Br?tzmann provides an answer by picking up his clarinet. Peter Br?tzmann has been such a key figure in Jazz for so long, his sound so instantly recognisable, that it’s almost a reflex when contemplating a new release to wonder how well it will stand up alongside cornerstone recordings such as Chicago Octet/Tentet and Little Birds Have Fast Hearts, let alone an established classic such as Machine Gun.
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