ANTHONY BRAXTON — 3 Compositions (EEMHM) 2011 (2017) 3CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

3 Compositions (EEMHM) 2011 features the first studio recordings of Braxton’s Echo Echo Mirror House Music—the latest conceptual innovation in Braxton’s five-decade career. With his Ghost Trance Music, Braxton created a framework for his musicians to freely explore his entire compositional output in each concert; with his Diamond Curtain Wall music, he brought his own interactive electronics into his improvisational palette. Now with Echo Echo Mirror House Music, Anthony Braxton brings these ideas to the next level. In this ensemble of longtime collaborators, all the musicians wield iPods in addition to their instruments, while navigating scores that combine cartography and evocative graphic notation, creating a musical tapestry combining live performance and sampled sound from Braxton’s extensive recorded discography.
Impeccably recorded at Firehouse 12’s state-of-the-art studio, the music is available in two formats: a traditional three-CD box set and a 5.1 Surround Sound audiophile Blu-ray disc. “As a culture, we are slowly moving away from target linear experiences that are framed as stationary constructs that don’t change on repeated listening, to a new world that constantly serves up fresh opportunities and interactive discourse,” Braxton says. “American people have made it clear that the new times will call for dynamic inter-action experiences.” https://firehouse12records.com
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition No. 372    57:54
2-1    Composition No. 373    59:26
3-1    Composition No. 377    58:14
Credits :
Artwork [All Images By] – Anthony Braxton
Bass, Bass Clarinet, Electronics [iPod] – Carl Testa
Composed By [All Compositions By] – Anthony Braxton
Cornet, Flugelhorn, Brass [Trumpbone], Electronics [iPod] – Taylor Ho Bynum
Guitar, Electronics [iPod] – Mary Halvorson
Percussion, Vibraphone [Vibes], Electronics [iPod] – Aaron Siegel
Producer [Produced By] – Anthony Braxton
Sopranino Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Electronics [iPod] – Anthony Braxton
Tuba, Electronics [iPod] – Jay Rozen
Viola, Violin, Electronics [iPod] – Jessica Pavone

ANTHONY BRAXTON - GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 1 - Set 1 & 2 (2012) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 1 - Set 1
1    Composition No. 254    1:00:49
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 1
Flute – Nicole Mitchell
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone
GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 1 - Set 2
1    Composition No.322    1:04:48
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 2
Flute – Nicole Mitchell
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone
Violin – Caley Monahan-Ward

ANTHONY BRAXTON - GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 2 - Set 1 & 2 (2012) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume ol. 2 Set 1
1    Composition No.255    1:04:02
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 1
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone, Stephanie Griffin
GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume Vol. 2 Set 2
1    Composition No.255    1:04:02
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 1
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Soprano Saxophone – Kyle Brenders
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone

ANTHONY BRAXTON - GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 3 - Set 1 & 2 (2012) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 3 - Set 1
1    Composition No.259    52:53
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone
GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 3 - Set 2
1    Composition No. 346    1:01:12
Bass – Carl Testa
Bassoon – Katie Young
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 2
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds – Matt Bauder
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone

ANTHONY BRAXTON - GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume 4 - Set 1 & 2 (2012) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume Vol. 4 Set 1
1    Composition No.266    1:04:05
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 1
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds – Matthew Welch
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone
GTM (Iridium) 2007 Volume Vol. 4 Set 2
1    Composition No.348    59:12
Alto Saxophone – Eric Paul
Bass – Carl Testa
Cornet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Ensemble – Anthony Braxton Septet + 2
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Reeds – Anthony Braxton
Tenor Saxophone – Andre Marguetti
Tuba – Jay Rozen
Viola – Jessica Pavone

ANTHONY BRAXTON — Sextet (Victoriaville) 2005 (2005) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Simply put, this is a stunning piece of work, performed in front of a stunned audience that was won over from the first few notes. After a spell of a few years, Anthony Braxton was back in Victoriaville in 2005 to present a new line-up. This sextet of young musicians (except for tuba player Jay Rozen, who is more experienced) is impressive to say the least. Taylor Ho Bynum makes a flashy trumpeter, quickly rising to the status of Toshinori Kondo. Violinist Jessica Pavone waltzes her way through the 68-minute piece almost effortlessly. Bassist Chris Dahlgren often applies a lot of pressure on the bow to get a gritty textural sound that evokes a fuzz guitar. Rozen's tuba is electronically treated, which also brings it closer to a noise guitar at times, giving this particular sextet a more raucous sound than what Braxton fans are used to. Percussionist Aaron Siegel goes by rather unnoticed, going through the score without making sparks. "Composition No. 345" features a striking balance between the abstract and the soulful. Its architecture is carefully hidden through pockets of free improvisation and seemingly random bits of scored tuttis, but its complex shapes and semi-parallel lines reveal themselves after a few listens. Compared to the Ghost Trance Music compositions, "No. 345" features a breathtaking level of complexity, yet the piece remains firmly rooted in the instant of playing, fascinating the listener with its every twist and turn. Not an easy listen even by Braxton's standards, this is nevertheless a must-have for the follower. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    Composition No 345    1:08:53
Anthony Braxton
Credits :
Bass – Chris Dahlgren
Drums, Percussion, Vibraphone – Aaron Siegel
Saxophone [F], Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
Trumpet – Taylor Ho Bynum
Tuba, Electronics – Jay Rozen

ANTHONY BRAXTON - 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 Phonomanie VIII (2006) 4CD SET | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Anthony Braxton celebrated his 60th birthday on June 4, 2005. Two weeks earlier, he was in Victoriaville playing three concerts, including an impromptu set with the harsh noise group Wolf Eyes -- all three performances have been recorded and released by Disques Victo as three separate CDs. Two weeks after blowing out his 60 candles, he was in Ulrichsberg, Austria, for a weeklong residency that culminated in four performances, also recorded and released, this time as a four-CD set on Leo Records. And just like in Victoriaville, Braxton kept it all about new, uncharted, daring music, without an iota of nostalgia. Disc one features "Composition 301" for solo piano, performed by Genevieve Foccroulle. It is an unusual venture for Braxton, with unusual results. The 35-minute piece offers plenty of puzzling structural and melodic ideas, but it sounds less immediately "Braxton" than what listeners are used to. The marks of John Cage, Charles Ives, and Witold Lutoslawski are more obvious here than anywhere else in his oeuvre. In his liner notes, Braxton says that there are 11 solo piano pieces at this time and that Foccroulle is working on a complete piano music recording. Maybe this project will provide an enhanced context for "Composition 301." Disc three is one of the very first recordings documenting Braxton's Diamond Curtain Wall Music, i.e., his experiments with live electronics. "Composition 323a" features the saxophonist with trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum and percussionist Aaron Siegel in an engaging performance. The electronics are rather discreet, enhancing the master's sound palette without denaturalizing it, and the interplay is intense while leaving room for silence. Discs two and four present two hourlong works performed by the Ulrichsberg Tri-Centric Ensemble, a 14-piece orchestra of Austrian musicians with diverse backgrounds. It is "Tri-Centric" because of its three-headed conductorship: Braxton acts as "origin conductor," Bynum is the "synchronous conductor," and Siegel is the "polarity conductor." Conductors and section leaders are free to change course during the piece, creating strange kaleidoscopes that somehow always retain their cohesion. The two pieces performed are radical rearrangements of previously documented works ("Composition 96" and "Composition 169"). Following the various paths taken by everyone involved is a dizzying experience. Braxton's music tends to have a stronger impact when played by smaller groups than this one, but these two performances are worthy of your time. Due to the widely different instrumentations featured in this set, some people would probably wish for separate releases. In fact, if the complete piano recordings do happen, this quadruple set could have been broken down into a two-CD set for the Tri-Centric Ensemble recordings and a single CD for the Diamond Curtain Wall Music trio. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1-1    Genevieve Foccroulle–    Composition 301    34:53
2-1    The Ulrichsberg Tri-Centric Ensemble–    Compositions No. 96 + 134    56:05
3-1    Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Aaron Siegel–    Composition 323a    47:20
4-1    The Ulrichsberg Tri-Centric Ensemble–    Compositions No. 169 + 147    1:04:54
All Credits

ANTHONY BRAXTON | MATT BAUDER - 2 + 2 Compositions (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded at Wesleyan University with three of his pupils (who also work together as a trio under the name Memorize the Sky), Anthony Braxton's 2 + 2 Compositions offers yet another example of how easily the master can adapt to and engage with new musical forms -- and younger, up-and-coming players. Matt Bauder (tenor sax and clarinet), Zach Wallace (double bass), and Aaron Siegel (percussion) are quiet players, favoring texture over density, as Bauder's two contributions to this set clearly exemplify. "Scaffolding" is a simple set of rules stating how to play (staccato/continuous) and when to play, while "Dots" is a field of sparsely scattered dots for the musicians to lose themselves in. Braxton eases in easily, restraining his playing and yet unfolding characteristic grace. The quartet coalesces wonderfully as a unit in "Dots," multiplying parallel dialogues (F sax/tenor sax, bass/tenor sax, drums/bass/F sax). Braxton's two compositions, "No. 324b" and "No. 327c," follow similar aesthetic ideas, although they call for more volume and a certain level of angst (especially early in "327c"). Both pieces belong to his Falling River Musics series, which some listeners may perceive as the complete antithesis to the Ghost Trance Music series. GTM relied on a steady pulse, dizzying triplets, and guerilla runs through parallel pieces. FRMs eschew any kind of beat and take a much more abstract form, consisting of clouds of sound events whose apparent randomness is eventually dispelled by an overruling sense of purpose. And in that regard, the short "327c" accomplishes more within its seven brilliant minutes than "324b" in three times that duration. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1    Scaffolding 15:46
Matt Bauder
2     Composition No. 324b 20:35
Anthony Braxton
3     Dots 11:49
Matt Bauder
4     Composition No. 327c 6:59
Anthony Braxton
Credits :
Clarinet [Eb] – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 2, 3)
Double Bass – Zach Wallace
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Saxophone [F] – Anthony Braxton
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Matt Bauder

ANTHONY BRAXTON - 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (2007) 9CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
CD1-1    Composition No. 350 Part 1    12:57
CD1-2    Composition No. 350 Part 2    15:30
CD1-3    Composition No. 350 Part 3    17:14
CD1-4    Composition No. 350 Part 4    9:48
CD1-5    Composition No. 350 Part 5    14:38
CD2-1    Composition No. 351 Part 1    11:25
CD2-2    Composition No. 351 Part 2    17:15
CD2-3    Composition No. 351 Part 3    17:45
CD2-4    Composition No. 351 Part 4    22:56
CD3-1    Composition No. 352 Part 1    17:17
CD3-2    Composition No. 352 Part 2    12:17
CD3-3    Composition No. 352 Part 3    22:38
CD3-4    Composition No. 352 Part 4    15:23
CD4-1    Composition No. 353 Part 1    13:54
CD4-2    Composition No. 353 Part 2    14:25
CD4-3    Composition No. 353 Part 3    14:26
CD4-4    Composition No. 353 Part 4    21:11
CD5-1    Composition No. 354 Part 1    11:10
CD5-2    Composition No. 354 Part 2    18:56
CD5-3    Composition No. 354 Part 3    14:47
CD5-4    Composition No. 354 Part 4    17:55
CD6-1    Composition No. 355 Part 1    11:51
CD6-2    Composition No. 355 Part 2    17:57
CD6-3    Composition No. 355 Part 3    16:47
CD6-4    Composition No. 355 Part 4    17:15
CD7-1    Composition No. 356 Part 1    17:43
CD7-2    Composition No. 356 Part 2    18:24
CD7-3    Composition No. 356 Part 3    23:45
CD8-1    Composition No. 357 Part 1    16:57
CD8-2    Composition No. 357 Part 2    16:43
CD8-3    Composition No. 357 Part 3    12:15
CD8-4    Composition No. 357 Part 4    17:15
CD9-1    Composition No. 358 Part 1    14:13
CD9-2    Composition No. 358 Part 2    21:07
CD9-3    Composition No. 358 Part 3    26:26
Credits :
Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Piccolo Flute, Voice – Nicole Mitchell
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone – Steve Lehman
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – James Fei
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Clarinet, Clarinet [Eb Contralto] – Anthony Braxton
Bass, Bass Clarinet – Carl Testa
Bassoon – Sara Schoenbeck
Cornet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Bass Trumpet, Piccolo Flute, Percussion [Shells] – Taylor Ho Bynum
Electric Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Euphonium, Toy [Toys], Other [Mutes] – Jay Rozen
Percussion, Vibraphone – Aaron Siegel
Soprano Saxophone, Saxophone [C-melody], Clarinet – Andrew Raffo Dewar
Trombone, Flugelhorn, Cymbal [Cymbals] – Reut Regev
Viola, Violin – Jessica Pavone

ANTHONY BRAXTON - 12+1tet (Victoriaville) 2007 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition No. 361    1:10:43
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone – Steve Lehman
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – James Fei
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet, Illustration [Drawing] – Anthony Braxton
Bassoon, Suona – Sara Schoenbeck
Cornet, Bugle, Brass [Trompbone], Bass Trumpet, Piccolo Trumpet, Performer [Coques], Performer [Sourdines (Mutes)] – Taylor Ho Bynum
Double Bass, Electric Bass, Bass Clarinet – Carl Testa
Electric Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Piccolo Flute, Voice – Nicole Mitchell
Percussion, Vibraphone – Aaron Siegel
Saxophone [C], Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet – Andrew Raffo Dewar
Trombone, Bugle [Coulisse], Cymbal, Performer [Sourdines] – Reut Regev
Tuba, Euphonium, Performer [Sourdines] – Jay Rozen
Violin, Electric Bass – Jessica Pavone

ANTHONY BRAXTON — Quartet (GTM) 2006 (2008) 4CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first Anthony Braxton album to appear on the Important Records label was issued in 2008 as Quartet (GTM) 2006, although the recordings were actually made on May 26 and 27, 2005. The set contains four extended collective workouts designated as Compositions 338, 340, 341, and 346. They were presented at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut with pianist Max Heath, bassist Carl Testa, and percussionist Aaron Siegel during the interim between Braxton's participation in a three-day jazz festival at Victoriaville, Canada and his summer-long European tour. The significance of the letters GTM is as follows. Beginning in 1995, Braxton expanded his already unusually vast and complex musical universe by initiating what would evolve into a decade-long series of multi-level improvisatory collaborations which he called Ghost Trance Music. The "first species" of this special type of "continuous state music" was patterned after indigenous North American drumming and inspired by the Ghost Dance Rituals of the Plains Tribes as practiced during the late 19th century. It was also informed by the Indonesian shadow puppet theater tradition. Like the rituals for which it was named, Ghost Trance Music materialized initially as an intuitive system for ancestor reverence and collective memory. Specifically, Braxton sought to honor and invoke a veritable composite Ghost of the Old Masters, i.e. musical heroes who contributed to the diverse braid of traditions which have manifested since the 1890s. He also took steps to provide for potential inclusion of literally everything he had conceived, composed, or created since he began putting music together sequentially in the late '60s. Braxton's collage technique, which first came to full fruition with his Quartet during the '80s, coexists in Ghost Trance Music with elemental language music coordinates which date back to his earliest compositions. As the series evolved, Ghost Trance Music became increasingly non-linear while what Braxton calls the Ritual Function became more important than ever. Contained only by duration, these works (which are more like sets of coordinates than composed entities) really have no beginning and no end. Taylor Ho Bynum, a key participant in the Ghost Trance series, has described a "balance between structure and freedom, composition and improvisation, ensemble and individual." By 2005, the Ghost Trance Musics had entered what Braxton called the "Accelerator Class" or "Accelerator Whip" mode. That terminology clearly applies to what was conjured and captured on this collection. 2006 marked the end of the Ghost Trance Musics as a series of creative rituals conducted under that name. The next phases of Braxton's development would involve the Diamond Curtain Wall (augmented by SuperCollider computer audio programming); Falling River Musics and Echo Echo Mirror House Music. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition No. 338    1:02:49
2-1    Composition No. 340    46:54
3-1    Composition No. 341    57:49
4-1    Composition No. 346    55:49
Credits :
Bass – Carl Testa
Percussion – Aaron Siegel
Piano – Max Heath
Written-By, Reeds, Liner Notes – Anthony Braxton

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Echo Echo Mirror House (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition No 347 +    1:02:37
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Electronics [iPod], Directed By, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Contrabass, Bass Clarinet, Electronics [iPod] – Carl Testa
Cornet, Bugle, Brass [Trompbone], Electronics [iPod] – Taylor Ho Bynum
Electric Guitar, Electronics [iPod] – Mary Halvorson
Ensemble – Septet
Percussion, Vibraphone, Electronics [iPod] – Aaron Siegel
Tuba, Electronics [iPod] – Jay Rozen
Viola, Violin, Electronics [iPod] – Jessica Pavone