A wonderful little set – one that features all four FMP albums recorded by
Peter Brotzmann and his Die Like A Dog quartet – a cool combo that features
Brotzmann on reeds, Toshinori Kondo on trumpet and electronics,
William Parker on bass, and
Hamid Drake on drums! The group's got a style that draws heavily from
Brotzmann's earlier improvisatory work, and really draws him back to his roots after some of his 80s recordings. The reed work is especially great here – and
Brotzmann plays alto, tenor, tarogato, and clarinet – but Kondo's trumpet is no slouch either, and really adds a bracing quality to some of the more dynamic numbers. The pairing of
Drake and
Parker sets the group on very solid, almost soulful rhythmic ground at points – and the 4CD package features the full albums Little Birds Have Fast Hearts 1, Little Birds Have Fast Hearts 2, Fragments Of Music Life & Death Of Albert Ayler, and Aoyama Crows – plus an added booklet of notes.
(2007 box set – in great shape!)