Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake

*2023 stock* The Dried Rat-Dog is a free jazz energy wallop from the duo of multireedist Peter Brotzmann and percussionist Hamid Drake. It kicks off with the title track, a cavorting of saxophone and drums that tears off, speeding over the hills and through the woods with fierce intensity. Both musicians are in excellent form and incorporate all sorts of techniques from their vast respective vocabularies. The energy inverts for the next piece, "It's an Angel on the Door," as Brotzmann holds notes on the tarogato, wavering at the edge of a screech, accompanied by Drake's hand percussion which continues solo at times, only to have Brotzmann come fluttering and circling back in. "Open Into the Unknown" remains soft and quiet, as frame drum and clarinet move at a steady pace. The album continues to move through an array of moods and approaches, but never lets up on creativity and musicianship, making The Dried Rat-Dog a must-hear for all fans of either musician, although not the best place to start for the uninitiated.