Han Bennink / Peter Brotzmann / Fred Van Hove FMP 130 CD

Full performer name: Peter Brotzmann/Han Bennink/Fred Van Hove.
Personnel: Peter Brotzmann (saxophone, clarinet); Han Bennink (drums, percussion); Fred Van Hove (piano, celeste).
Recorded in Bremen, Germany on February 25, 1973.
Originally, this 1973 recording was released without a title; Atavistic's 30th anniversary reissue is titled FMP 130, after the original album's catalog number, which is how most fans refer to it. Unlike most albums including this trio of players (reedsman Peter Brötzmann, pianist Fred Van Hove, and percussionist Han Bennink), which usually feature two side-long group improvisations, FMP 130 consists of ten concise pieces, each one credited to a single composer. This makes the pieces more focused, while still retaining the fearless improvisational spirit that powers their other work. Brötzmann's overdubbed "Konzert Fur 2 Klarinetten" is one of his most squealing, cacophonous works ever; parts of it sound like the amplified screech of nails on a blackboard. Other tracks, such as Van Hove's "Wir Haben Uns Folgerdes Uberlegt" (which features an otherworldly sound akin to Tuvan throat singing, apparently coming from Brötzmann, though it's nearly impossible to tell if this is a vocal or instrumental sound) are more sedate. "Number 6," for example, consists of largely unaccompanied solo lines from each of the three players, that fade in and out in a drifting, eddying sound that includes passages of near-silence, resulting in a genuinely contemplative mood. Because of this varied dynamic and the brief, accessible song lengths, FMP 130 is an excellent introduction to this circle of composer/performers for the cautious neophyte. ~ Stewart Mason