ANTHONY BRAXTON - Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994 (1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The first issue from the prolific Italian label Splasc(h)'s international series, this CD fills an important gap in the work of Braxton by focusing on his non-quartet work of the mid-90s. Actually taken from a single concert of duo, trio, and quartet performances, the compositions are characteristically complex, though absorbingly and fascinatingly so. While the level of his classic quartet recordings is hard to beat, these small groups give a different view of the composer/performer - one laced with abstraction and densely layered harmonies. "Composition No. 107," with trombonist Roland Dahinden and pianist Jeanne Chloe, revisits an earlier version recorded with Garrett List and Marianne Schroeder. The two saxophone features, "Trio Improvisation" and "Duo Improvisation," incorporate harmonies in strikingly different ways. "Three Compositions for Sextet," is perhaps the highlight, with two of the three compositions never before recorded. Unfortunately, the sound quality is a tad weak throughout. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
Duo And Trio Music    
1    Trio Improvisation 8:53
Alto Saxophone, Bass Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – André Vida
Bass Clarinet, Oboe, Shenai – Brandon Evans
2    Composition N° 107 20:24
Piano – Jeanne Chloe
Soprano Saxophone, C Melody Saxophone [C-Melody Saxophone] – Anthony Braxton
Trombone – Roland Dahinden
3    Duo Improvisation 6:42
Percussion – Eric Rosenthal
Sopranino Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
4    Three Compositions For Sextet (21:13)
4.1    Composition N° 44 (108D+96)+168    
4.2    Composition N° 136    
4.3    Composition N° 43 +(96)+168
Accordion – Ted Reichman
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Sopranino Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Vibraphone – Kevin Norton
Trombone – Mike Heffley
Violin – Jason Wong

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Octet (New York) 1995 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This octet documentation of Anthony Braxton's "Composition 188" is solid evidence of the state of the decline of the recording industry's ability to nurture an artist -- even one of Braxton's stature -- and see to much less beyond the bottom line in order to fulfill their function as documenters of cultural history. They may claim no responsibility, but they're wrong. This disc is angering, and it's not for the quality of the written music or even Braxton's performance, which is, as usual, excellent. It's the fact that he had to record it himself with a group of players who, despite their individual qualities, were not up to the task of performing with any kind of inspiration on work as wondrous and difficult as this. Braxton is clearly working with his students here, and it shows in the recorded result. The muddy mix, the shoddy spatial relationships between instruments, and the evident rigorous effort put in on the part of a group whose entire collective effort, while admirable, is not equal to the challenges of "Composition 188," nearly an hour long and full of knotty harmonic ideas and strange cascading repetitive note patterns that shift from front to back and then side to side in oddly delineated intervals of tonal ebullience. But what was Braxton supposed to do? Not document it in performance? A label would have allowed Braxton to hire -- rather than ask their favor -- a group of handpicked musicians for this particular work and have given them the money and the time to rehearse it adequately before recording it. That used to happen.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Compostition No. 188 58:06
Credits :
Accordion – Ted Reichman
Baritone Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone [B-Flat Soprano Saxophone], Tenor Saxophone, Flute [Hungarian Shepherd Flute] – Andre Vida
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Percussion – Kevin Norton
Electric Violin – Jason Kao Hwang
Sopranino Saxophone [E-Flat Sopranino Saxophone], Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet [E-Flat Sopranino Clarinet], Clarinet [B-Flat Clarinet], Contrabass Clarinet, Saxophone [F-Saxophone], Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Soprano Saxophone [C-Soprano Saxophone], Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute, Flute [Wooden Flute] – Brandon Evans
Tenor Trombone, Trombone [Alto Trombone] – Roland Dahinden

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Tentet (New York) 1996 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition No. 193    1:07:11
Anthony Braxton    
Credits :
Accordion – Ted Reichman
Alto Clarinet, Piccolo Flute – J.D. Parran
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone [E-flat], Saxophone [F-], Clarinet [E-flat Sopranino, B-flat], Contrabass Clarinet, Flute, Composed By, Producer – Anthony Braxton
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Percussion – Kevin Norton
Soprano Saxophone [B-flat], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Andre Vida
Soprano Saxophone [C-], Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brandon Evans
Trombone [Tenor, Alto] – Roland Dahinden
Violin – Gwen Laster, Jacquie Carrasco

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Composition No. 173 (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This musically and textually complex composition examines movement-strategies that occur in normal life in various spaces (a living room, an airport, a theater space, an open outdoor area "I hear an influence coming on from the CKA AREAS," dream spaces, etc.); the actors describe in subtle detail several "movement-execution strategies." Body areas are examined as analogs for the occurrence of sound, the imagery of a "body-examination logic." As one actor describes the purpose of the text "... all I need are allies who are willing to risk a moment to change fundamental established 'positions, ' really Arnold, it's time for a change." The music is exciting and contrapuntally dense, and at other times mysteriously sustained. Maps of geography (sounds moving about the real and imaginary and video "virtual" lands) and musical graph strategies are treated as analogs. A thoughtful and innovative "multimedia" work. "Blue" Gene Tyranny
Composition No- 173    
1    Opening Music - Introduction    15:39
2    Scene One - Interlude Duo    16:16
3    Scene Two (A) - Interlude Ensemble    14:22
4    Scene Two (B)    5:12
5    Closing Music    7:26
Credits :
Artwork [Cover] – Maria Bonandrini
Bass – Dirck Westervelt, Joe Fonda
Bass Clarinet – Brandon Evans
Bassoon – Bo Bell
Cello – Jacob Rosen, Sandra Miller
Clarinet – Jennifer Hill
Composed By, Conductor – Anthony Braxton
Guitar – Kevin O'Neil
Koto – Brett W. Larner
Oboe – Melinda Newman
Percussion – Josh Rosenblatt
Sopranino Saxophone – Brandon Evans
Violin – Danielle Langston, Nickie Braxton
Voice Actor – Baba Ben Israel, Isha Beck, Laura Arbuckle, Steve Ben Israel

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Trillium R : Composition 162 - An Opera in Four Acts / Shala Fears for the Poor (1999) 4CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

So why is this so important? How can a guy like Braxton, who writes constantly, get a high mark on his first outing? Simple -- with the exception of Anthony Davis, who wrote Malcolm X, no one from the jazz side of the fence has attempted such a complete attempt to embrace the world of Western classical music so thoroughly. (Yes, forget Blood on the Fields, it's a jazz oratorio according to its composer.) And it deems that Braxton is the only one who can be counted -- if this opera, the first of 36 by the year 2020 if the composer lives that long and lives up to his word (is there any doubt?), is any example -- to have his work be worthy of comparison to the works of Webern, Berg, and Schoenberg, not to mention Morton Feldman and John Cage. Compared to his jazz work, Composition No. 162 -- An Opera in Four Acts/Shala Fears for the Poor (dedicated to Nelson Mandela) is far from dense compared to his jazz quartet, quintet, and orchestra work. The opera is performed by nine singers and a full symphony orchestra who has among its membership instrumental soloists like clarinetist Chris Speed, flutists Ned Rothenberg and Rob Brown, and violinist Sara Parkins. All of the operas in the Trillium series will have three primary levels spread throughout their acts and scenes: an "apparent story," which is a narrative that can be appreciated more or less for what it seems to say; a set of "philosophical associations" that make the work refer outside itself into the world of ideas; and finally, "the mystical or spiritual fundamental that underlines each setting," in other words, an allegory -- noh or kabuki theater anyone? The narrative in Shala is a long, drawn-out, rhetorical narrative involving the marketing of products and productions to the masses, specifically to the lower classes. These products are everything from food to loans, all of them created to extract a maximum of profit regardless of damage. Certainly there is a preaching to the converted here, with a plot as concerned with the obvious as the face of our culture. But Braxton -- through his use of color, shape, texture, and above all intersecting musical and dramatic dynamics -- cuts through and makes his dialogue enter into the imagination, where the listener extrapolates her or his own experience and places it firmly in the operatic sequence of events. The smarminess of the Board of Directors and the under-sung plaintive wail of Shala are downright moving. The interplay of the strings with the solo voices and horns and percussion creating mysterious shapes underneath, filling out scenarios and sub-plots, is masterful. Yes, it does seem as if there is a bit of the overly dramatic "snidely whiplash" in all of this, but isn't it that cynical anyway? That Braxton can overcome his temptation to preach at all is compelling (remember Schöenberg's similar taste of pulpit-climbing sin in Moses and Aaron?), as is his ability to lay everything at the altar of image (as his musicians paint them in the air next to the singers) in elongated modes of introverted harmonics and striated tonal linguistics. And after all, like all of Braxton's music, this opera, Shala Fears for the Poor, is about language and how it mediates and transcends images. Braxton is trying to transcend the language of the opera while using it for his own purposes. If this is where the future of opera is headed, if this is where it's language will ultimately be decided, then someone please give me a grammar book -- I'm in.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Trillium R: Shala Fears For The Poor - Composition No. 162 (Opera In Four Acts)   
1-1    Act 1    1:03:05
2-1    Act 2    31:32
3-1    Act 3    39:20
4-1    Act 4    42:06
All Credits

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 1 (2002) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Recorded live at the San Francisco jazz club Yoshi's, this two-CD set captures Anthony Braxton's "Ghost Trance" music performed by a sympathetic nonet, comprised of a saxophone sextet plus a rhythm section. Each of the group's members is closely associated with Braxton, so that this performance can be said to accurately portray the structure of the music and the intentions of the composer. The sound is surprisingly clear for a live performance, too. This is very difficult music to listen to at one sitting, and the written saxophone parts can be particularly torturous. Pounding pulses devoid of melody, a somewhat limited tonal palette, and lots of repeating phrases (what the composer calls "repetition") add to the complexity and the opaqueness. Appreciating the theoretical underpinnings of the compositions, some of which are discussed by Steve Day in the liner notes, make it more approachable, and the glorious improvisations by Braxton and his colleagues mitigate the harshness of the whole. Although it is virtually impossible to know which reed players are playing what and when, when you bring together the sort of talent represented by saxophone luminaries such as Brandon Evans, James Fei, Jackson Moore, as well as an all-star rhythm section of percussionist Kevin Norton, guitarist Kevin O'Neil, and bassist Joe Fonda, you know that the quality of performance is bound to be superb, and, in fact, the solos and trio breakouts are nothing less than splendid. For those who have been exposed to this phase of Braxton's music, these two performances are among his best for a small group. For those who have not yet tasted these fruits, you may wish to start elsewhere with a single helping. Steve Loewy  
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition N. 207    1:12:00
2-1    Composition N. 208    1:11:09
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Alto Saxophone [F-Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], C Melody Saxophone [C-Melody Sax], Flute, Clarinet [Bb Clarinet], Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Clarinet [Bb Clarinet] – Jackson Moore
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Clarinet – James Fei
Artwork – Lora Denis
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone – Kevin Norton
Electric Guitar – Kevin O'Neil
Music By – Anthony Braxton
Producer – Anthony Braxton, Leo Feigin
Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Saxophone [Bass Sax], Flute – J.D. Parran
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Baritone Saxophone [Baritone Sax] – Andre Vida
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Soprano Saxophone [C-Soprano Sax], Sopranino Saxophone [Sopranino Sax], Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brandon Evans

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 2 (2003) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Braxton's Ghost Trance Music series ranks among the most difficult music to review. Everyone has his or her personal favorites among the dozens of discs released under this umbrella and, since the general idea underpinning them all and the quality of musicianship remain rather constant, evaluation comes down to highly subjective factors. For instance, one listener might find the first volume in Leo Records' Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 series lacking in interest, but would be hard pressed to rationally explain why this second installment, Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 2 is so much better. The lineup is the same: a barrage of woodwinds (Anthony Braxton, Brandon Evans, James Fei, Jackson Moore, Andre Vidal, and J.D. Parran, all playing multiple saxophones, clarinets, and flutes) accompanied by guitar (Kevin O'Neil), bass (Joe Fonda), and percussion (Kevin Norton), although all nine players rarely perform at the same time. Both "Composition N. 209" and "Composition N. 210" move through a quasi-endless and constantly renewed flow of trios (the latter also uses larger combinations). The music was recorded the day after the first volume, and consists once again of two disc-long pieces. The difference on Vol. 2 is that the group sounds more focused, more willing to trap the listener into the hypnotic patterns of the music and push him to the edge of free improvisation. "Composition N. 210" in particular deploys some mean tricks to make you forget that it is written down. The two pieces develop very different colors. Most noticeable is the fact that Norton (mostly) plays the drum kit in "N. 210," while he sticks to mallet percussion and cymbals in "N. 209." And so, either by design or attraction, "N. 210" displays a certain free jazz mood, prone to a certain frenzy, while "N. 209" slightly evokes contemporary classical music, especially in its delicate finale. Up to this point, the listener may be under the impression that GTM worked better with small groupings, but this set proves otherwise. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition N. 209    57:49
2-1    Composition N. 210    58:33
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Alto Saxophone [F-Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], C Melody Saxophone [C-Melody Sax], Flute, Clarinet [Bb Clarinet], Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Clarinet [Bb Clarinet] – Jackson Moore
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Clarinet – James Fei
Artwork – Lora Denis
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone – Kevin Norton
Electric Guitar – Kevin O'Neil
Music By – Anthony Braxton
Producer – Anthony Braxton, Leo Feigin
Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Saxophone [Bass Sax], Flute – J.D. Parran
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Baritone Saxophone [Baritone Sax] – Andre Vida
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Soprano Saxophone [C-Soprano Sax], Sopranino Saxophone [Sopranino Sax], Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brandon Evans

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 3 (2005) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Released 15 months after Vol. 2, this two-CD set continues to document the Anthony Braxton Ninetet's six-night residency at Yoshi's. "Composition No. 211" and "Composition No. 212" (each 55 minutes long) were both performed on August 21, 1997. Because of the range of arrangements it offers in a format relatively easy to keep together, the Ninetet is turning into Braxton's ultimate Ghost Trance Music-era group, in the light of these recordings. The (shifting) triple-trio configuration, the quality of the musicianship, and the creativity developed from "Composition No. 207" through "Composition No. 218" will make this series one of the essential documents of GTM. As on the previous night, the most immediate difference between the first and the second pieces is Kevin Norton's role. In "211," he sticks exclusively to marimba and vibraphone, while in "212" he is mostly behind the drum kit. The first piece is the strongest one of the two. Braxton, Brandon Evans, and J.D. Parran form a flute trio at one point which, coupled with Norton's vibes, takes listeners into unusually velvety pastures. The pulse is marvelously sustained, producing a strong hypnotic effect, and the music attains a level of complexity and confidence -- ease too, probably -- the previous evenings only hinted at. "212" is slightly less impressive, mostly because the wind section lacks a bit of togetherness in key places. But it also features a fine bass sax solo from Parran, some of the series' most audacious "departures" from the main score, and a gentle finale (a nice change from the more standard GTM practice, which consists of abruptly stopping in the middle of a staccato tutti). The quality and entertainment value of Steve Day's listening diary -- an excellent no-nonsense contextualization of Braxton's music -- is is also worth noting. François Couture
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition N. 211    55:30
2-1    Composition N. 212    55:35
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Alto Saxophone [F-Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], C Melody Saxophone [C-Melody Sax], Flute, Clarinet [Bb Clarinet], Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Clarinet [Bb Clarinet] – Jackson Moore
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Clarinet – James Fei
Artwork – Lora Denis
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone – Kevin Norton
Electric Guitar – Kevin O'Neil
Music By – Anthony Braxton
Producer – Anthony Braxton, Leo Feigin
Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Saxophone [Bass Sax], Flute – J.D. Parran
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Baritone Saxophone [Baritone Sax] – Andre Vida
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Soprano Saxophone [C-Soprano Sax], Sopranino Saxophone [Sopranino Sax], Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brandon Evans

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 4 (2007) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

In the light of Firehouse 12's successful release of Anthony Braxton's complete Iridium residence as a single nine-CD box set in 2007, it is worth wondering if the Yoshi's residence would have had more impact had it been published as a 12-CD package instead of six separate volumes. The fact is, Braxton's six-day string of concerts at Yoshi's took place in 1997, the first night came out on CD in 2002, the fourth in 2007, and at this time it seems listeners won't have the whole thing before 2010. However, given how fast Braxton's compositional approach has been evolving, this occasional dip into early Ghost Trance Music helps recontextualize the Falling River Musics series or even the Diamond Curtain Wall experiments. On this fourth night of their weeklong engagement, the Ninetet performed two sets, each featuring a single new composition, numbers "213" and "214." Again, these are very difficult to describe in particulars, as this whole series feeds on repetition (within a piece and between pieces) of eight-note motives. Nine members strong, the group often sounds much larger, mainly because all but two play an array of different instruments, starting with Braxton himself, surrounded that night by seven saxes and clarinets, plus a flute. Even percussionist Kevin Norton keeps switching back and forth between the drum kit, marimba, and vibraphone. So the ensemble sounds larger than life, especially in "Composition No. 213," a very busy hour of music. "Composition No. 214" is somewhat stranger, the group fragmenting more often into subgroupings, and establishing a hierarchy between the soloists and the "backup" players by pushing the former far up into the mix and keeping the remaining musicians at a pianissimo level late in the piece. "Composition No. 214" also sees the group more willing to drop the GTM pulse altogether, or even accelerating it. Still, due to the time lag between recording and release dates, the Yoshi's series has become an item for the completist. More casual Braxton fans are better off keeping up with the man's genius and focusing on his more recent adventures. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition N. 213    56:14
2-1    Composition N. 214    58:40
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Alto Saxophone [F-Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], C Melody Saxophone [C-Melody Sax], Flute, Clarinet [Bb Clarinet], Bass Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Clarinet [Bb Clarinet] – Jackson Moore
Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Clarinet – James Fei
Artwork – Lora Denis
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone – Kevin Norton
Electric Guitar – Kevin O'Neil
Music By – Anthony Braxton
Producer – Anthony Braxton, Leo Feigin
Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Bass Saxophone [Bass Sax], Flute – J.D. Parran
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Alto Saxophone [Eb Alto Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Baritone Saxophone [Baritone Sax] – Andre Vida
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Soprano Saxophone [C-Soprano Sax], Sopranino Saxophone [Sopranino Sax], Bass Clarinet, Flute – Brandon Evans