Peter Brötzmann, Marino Pliakas, Michael Wertmüller

Full Blast
Jazzwerkstatt

Since the release of his acclaimed 1968 album, Machine Gun, Peter Brötzmann has pushed free jazz into deeper, darker realms of raw visceral expression. Full Blast arrives nearly forty years after his chaotic beginnings, finding that after all these years he still tussles with the same fiery and aggressive drive. And the album does indeed live up to it's name, taking shape as the explosive equivelant of a chest-bursting caffeine buzz that hits hard the height of rush hour traffic. As such this ablum is not recomended for interstate of inner city driving in any capcity. Listen to this one in the privacy of your own home, for the safety (and composure) of not only yourself but anyone else who wanders within striking distance.

The album’s five untitled numbers were recorded live with the rhythm section of Michael Wertmüller (drums) and Marino Pliakas (electric bass). The simple pairing of Brötzmann’s teeth-gnashing skronk with bass and drums draws-out new dimensions of body for his typically high-end squalls. The group doesn’t experiment with new musical form, but dives head-first into Brötzmann’s dogged jazz dirge with a simple, powerful rhythmic chatter that underscores what makes Brötzmann such a brilliant artist, from a slightly different angle.

--Chad Radford