''The Nearer the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat'' is an album by saxophonist

Peter Brötzmann Peter Brötzmann (6 March 1941 – 22 June 2023) was a German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist regarded as a central and pioneering figure in European free jazz. Throughout his career, he released over fifty albums as a bandleader. Amongst his m ...

, double bassist Harry Miller, and drummer

Louis Moholo Louis Tebogo Moholo (10 March 1940 – 13 June 2025) was a South African jazz drummer. He was a member of several notable bands, including The Blue Notes, the Brotherhood of Breath and Assagai. Biography Born in Cape Town, Moholo formed The ...

. It was recorded on August 27, 1979, at FMP Studio in Berlin, and was released on vinyl later that year by

FMP/Free Music Production Free Music Production (FMP) is a German record label that specialises in free jazz. Origins FMP originated from the New Artists Guild, which was an informal cooperative of musicians in the mid-1960s. In 1968, The New Artists Guild sponsored the T ...

. In 2012, the album was reissued on CD by the Cien Fuegos imprint of

Trost Records Trost Records is a record label located in Vienna. History In the early 1990s, Trost was founded as a tape label, releasing records of Austrian alternative and underground bands, such as Valina, , and Holly May. In 2011, the sublabel Cie ...

. In 1980, the trio recorded a second album titled ''

Opened, But Hardly Touched ''Opened, But Hardly Touched'' is a live album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, double bassist Harry Miller, and drummer Louis Moholo. It was recorded on November 5 and 6, 1980, at the Flöz in Berlin, and was released on vinyl as a two-album set ...

'' (FMP, 1981).

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Eugene Chadbourne noted that the sound of the trio "hearkened back to the solid feel of black free jazz rather than splintering the brain with the seeming anarchy of the European free jazz scene of the time," and wrote: "While much of the European scene at the time veered toward inexplicable intensity, this performance is reminiscent of players such as Pharoah Sanders, with a slow, steady build toward a musical inferno guided by a similar feeling of intense spirituality." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' stated that the trio setting "bring out some of Brötzmann's best playing," and called the music "big and brawling encounters which realign the saxophonist's playing with a 'mainstream' free-jazz approach." Milo Fine of ''

Cadence In Classical music, Western musical theory, a cadence () is the end of a Phrase (music), phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution (music), resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don ...

'' described the album as "a very satisfying effort giving Brötzmann yet another context in which to explore his art," and commented: "Due to the relatively steady drive of Miller... and Moholo... the overall effect of these medium length improvisations is effective static energy that nonetheless pushes forward."

Track listing

All music by Peter Brötzmann, Harry Miller, and Louis Moholo. # "Long Time Service" – 9:55 # "Kucken und drücken" – 13:09 # "The Nearer the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat" – 15:38 # "Schnell im Biss" – 5:17

Personnel

– E♭ clarinet, A clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone * Harry Miller – double bass *

– drums

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nearer the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat 1979 collaborative albums Peter Brötzmann albums Harry Miller (jazz bassist) albums Louis Moholo albums FMP/Free Music Production albums