snobb Japanese guitarist Keiji Haino is a cult figure on country's traditionally influential alternative music scene. Started playing guitar in early 70s, he developed Derek Bailey and his compatriot Masayuki Takayanagi free-improv guitar music adding rock-machismo image what probably doesn't look all that casual but fits well to Japanese underground jazz/rock/improv music tradition.

During last few years Haino increased his international notoriety prolifically playing and recording with such genre leaders as Oren Ambarchi and Jim O'Rourke.

Here on his newest live release from concert at Shinjuku Pit Inn in Tokyo,recorded in 2010, Haino plays with Jim O'Rourke and European free jazz icon German sax player Peter Brotzmann. Everyone familiar with prolific Brotzmann's legacy knows how dominating he is even on collaborative recordings, surprisingly here on "Two City Blues 1" he isn't.

Combination of two free-improvs electric guitarists and free sax player could sound weird, but generally it works quite well. "Two City Blues 1" isn't first common work for Haino and Brotzmann, their "Shadows",released on Japanese DIW label are quite well known. Guitarist Jim O'Rourke is regular musical partner for Haino for some last years as well. Still fully improvised music sounds a bit raw, it often sounds like each of three musicians just plays his own music without paying of lot attention what two others do.

As it was already mentioned above, surprisingly Brotzmann (or any other trio's member) doesn't dominates and both two compositions sound as three equal musicians recital. Music is not too fast,not too noisy (at least - not for Brotzmann,Haino or O'Rourke standard), even meditative in moments, but main problem here is there is absence of true communication between artists here.

"Two City Blues 1", actually released few months after the release of "Two City Blues 2" (which was released on CD and vol.1 as vinyl only)is another album in massive collection each of three trio's members already has released,Haino followers will probably enjoy it but generally it is far not his best work (even more same could be said about Peter Brotzmann).