Sex Tape by BRÖTZMANN / LEIGH
Bandcamp Link: Sex Tape
peter brötzmann – tenor/alto-saxophones, tarogato, b-flat clarinet
heather leigh – pedal steel guitar
The cover of this album depicts a naked crucified man embraced by an enormous snake which is biting down on his, well, uh, tool.
While I think the cover image is maybe just a bit sensational, the snake metaphor is apt for BRÖTZMANN and LEIGH’s dynamic. Initially, I was thinking the more apt metaphor would be a snake charmer, with BRÖTZMANN as the charmer and Leigh’s Pedal Steel as the cobra. There is a sinuousness to Leigh’s playing which is very snake-like.
But the more I listened, the less it held up for me. I couldn’t decide who was the snake and who was the charmer.
The way BRÖTZMANN and Leigh interact IS interesting. There is a lot of call and response between them. BRÖTZMANN will play a figure and Leigh will imitate it surprisingly accurately on the pedal steel.
It is more like two tremendously large pythons wrestling each other, writhing in a swamp, fighting or copulating. In the end you’re not sure if one snake ate the other, or, if one got away and the other is now eating its own tail.
#BRÖTZMANN #LEIGH #SexTape #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack
