Fryed Fruit

Did you ever wonder how a meeting between Peter Brötzmann and the Ruins would sound like? This is as close as it gets. While in Scandinavia in 1999, the German saxophone terrorist performed a few shows with surprising lineups and musical approaches with local musicians (another fine example is Live at Nefertiti, released in 2001 on Ayler Records). Fryed Fruit was recorded on June 8, 1999, in Joensuu, Finland, by a power trio closer to rock than jazz. Drummer Nikolai Yudanov and electric guitarist Sakari Luoma sided the saxophonist. The five tracks included here are all in-your-face jams, packed with energy the likes of which one doesn't expect from the aging Brötzmann anymore. Yudanov's free rock drumming compares to the Ruins' Yoshida Tatsuya. Finesse is not Luoma's cup of tea: he throws loud atonal chords and scrapes the strings with metal objects. Brötzmann leaves them an interesting duo spot during the first seven minutes of the title track. There is also a place to breathe at the beginning of "Xanadu," more delicate in its first half. But most of the time, Fryed Fruit sounds like what would have happened if Rush had been listening to Machine Gun. Powerful and quite entertaining, although free jazz purists will definitely not agree. ~ François Couture, Rovi