Black Hole

A trio formed by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, fretless electric bassist Marino Pliakas, and drummer Michael Wertmüller, Full Blast lives up to its name. They often play at almost hardcore punk speed, never letting the momentum flag even when pieces pass the 10-minute mark. Wertmüller is an insanely busy drummer, bouncing all over the kit and combining free jazz “pulse” rhythms with thunderous rolls across the toms, and Pliakas seems to be doing his own thing entirely, but somehow the two of them are both working together and providing a steady and sympathetic platform for Brötzmann to go off, switching frequently between saxophone and clarinet. What becomes surprisingly apparent after a little while, though, is how carefully he’s listening to the “rhythm section”; at the beginning of “Alice,” he plays some almost beboppish phrases, and “String” is a tender ballad.