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Rating: Peter Brotzmann Sextet/Quartet or a terrifying collective made up of the best musicians of European avant-garde jazz: it would be enough just to mention the presence of Evan Parker on tenor sax, Derek Bailey on guitar, not to forget the shocking and claustrophobic style of Han Bennink's drums, perhaps one of the most exhilarating and wild drummers to listen to, to cite “Nipples” as one of the cornerstones of late sixties free jazz.
The extremization of the concept of free improvisation, the almost metaphysical violence of inaudible sounds devoid of any harmonization and any aesthetics of beauty, everything in these grooves sounds ugly and for this damnably fascinating, the goal of this collective seems to be to push desperately beyond the boundaries of antimusicality, a proposal that throws the listener into the mazes of a sonic holocaust made up of strangled winds, violated pianos, devoured guitars and annihilated percussions.
Nipples (17'53'') played in sextet is a frenetic race in which the sax duets flow into an incandescent magma, the concept of musical accompaniment is totally banned and deconstructed, a stubborn and unbridled soloism counterbalanced by the hubbub created by the other instruments. In particular, it is truly exhilarating to listen to Vah Hove's piano, notes played with an overwhelming force and impetus: as if these sounds were gushing dominantly directly from the Earth's gut.
Tell A Green Man (15'32'') played in quartet is an orgy of “free” noises without head or tail, the exaltation of the most unbridled and limitless improvisation, the piece opens with bass and drums duetting, babbling, raving and eventually giving way to the atonal variations of Brotzmann's sax, the keys of a broken piano, a delirium of acute sounds and vibrating howls, in which the listener finds no grip to cling to.
The only thing to do is to indulge in this avant-garde carousel, letting yourself be carried away by these gloomy, unpleasant and ungraceful sounds.
In conclusion, “Nipples” is one of the pillars of Brotzmann's extensive and opulent discography, one of the best avant-garde jazz records and indeed one of his most successful and valid albums, my advice before listening is only one:
let yourself be overwhelmed.
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