Anthony Braxton Music

This is a collection of live solo pieces by Anthony Braxton on alto sax, most of them under 3 minutes in length, taken from two concerts -- the first in Killian Hall at MIT in 1988 (tracks 1-16) and the second from San Francisco 8 days later (the last 3 tracks). I first discovered this disc, and along with it Anthony Braxton, while a student at MIT shortly after the recording was made (the LP version was in the music library there), and after years of listening to an abridged cassette tape, I've finally been reunited with the full-length recording on CD.

Most of the 19 tunes here sound quite similar -- Braxton's embouchure blowing airily and sometimes squeaky, but with a bold tone of abrupt and bracing spasms of sound, often with long runs of circular breathing and audible key clacking or inhalations. The vast majority of tunes are Braxton originals, cryptically entitled by code, a word, and a little drawing, but there are also three standards of somewhat longer length in "You Go To My Head," "Round 'bout Midnight," and "Half Nelson." "Round Midnight" here is one of my favorite covers of the Monk classic, "Half Nelson" ventures well into free territory before almost comedically restating the melody near the end, and the originals are well, original, with Braxton typically exploring the possibilities around a repeated scale or phrase. But this is hardly Sunday paper or brunch with mom music, as most would likely find its lack of regular tempo, jarringly dissonant "melodies," and spastic exhortations distracting to say the least (listen to 106A quarter, for example... let's be honest, a bit like a wailing, tortured ghost, no?). Don't get me wrong, this recording is not only a bit of nostalgia for me; I'm a fan of the playing in any case -- it's adventurous and bold, and uniquely Braxton -- who else plays like this and how many alto sax solo albums are there, anyway? Dolphy? Braxton is far less tethered to bop. John Zorn? Braxton isn't playing thrash or punk, in fact while free jazz to be sure, the solos here give the impression that they were notated rather than freely improvised and the album title does claim "compositions." Bottom line is if you're a fan of Braxton or the avant-garde, you'll likely dig this and perhaps even find something inspiring, so pick it up and enjoy. But if not, be warned...

This disc is one of the permanent fixtures on my Cd player at home. It is a perfect introduction to Braxton's always illuminating solo music. It seems (and I use "seems" rather than "is," because it is just my opinion) to be more carefully planned than his early "For Alto"; it is delicate, improvised, and yet structured...it is very hard to put into words. But then again, that in itself is why you should experience the music on this wonderful Cd--in his music, Braxton has always reached aesthetic places that only the masters can reach, and language often doesn't do justice to the task. All I can say is that in my opinion (which is always subjective, of course) this Cd is the perfect thing to listen to when you are having your cup of coffee and reading the Sunday paper, enjoying an evening dinner with family and friends, or, in particular, when you just want to sit down and concentrate hard on the music of one of the finest modern day composers in creative music. This music will reward you in ways that are authentic, genuine, and (most importantly) PERMANENT.

That's "electroacoustic improv", aka "lowercase", aka a dozen other nicknames--the burgeoning subgenre of minimalist post-AMM free improvisation. Anyway, the young trio on here clearly has been paying attention to that area of the music; I don't know if Braxton's strongly interested in it or not (probably he is, he seems to have an endless appetite for music of all kinds) but on the first track in particular, "Scaffolding" (a Matt Bauder composition) there's a strong eai tinge. Listeners may be divided on whether this works--a guitarist/critic I know found this disc awkward & uneventful, but for me this is one of the most enjoyable of Braxton's various outings with the young crop of Wesleyan students. It's quite beautiful (in part because Braxton and Bauder play clarinets for most of the album), & if you're in the mood even the longest tracks flow by quite smoothly & quickly. Braxton's more usual style of swirling, knotted playing is barely present on here--this is note-to-note playing, with barely a lick in sight, & I think it suits him. Check it out.