ANTHONY BRAXTON - Quintet [Tristano] 2014 (2016) 7CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1-1    Crosscurrent 9'09
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
1-2    Ice Cream Konitz 8'48
Written-By – Lee Konitz
1-3    Dreams 6'53
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
1-4    Two-Way (Duo) 2'00
Written-By – Lenny Popkin
1-5    Casino 8'49
Written-By – Warne Marsh
1-6    No Figs (Quartet) 8'18
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
1-7    East 32nd Street 7'26
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
1-8    Sound-Lee 11'16
Written-By – Lee Konitz
2-1    Dixie's Dilemma 10'55
Written-By – Warne Marsh
2-2    Palo Alto (Trio) 4'28
Written-By – Lee Konitz
2-3    Sax Of A Kind 8'28
Written-By – Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh
2-4    Starline (Quartet) 5'48
Written-By – Lenny Popkin
2-5    Marionette 3'30
Written-By – Billy Bauer
2-6    Lennie-Bird 9'48
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
2-7    Never Let Me Go 4'04
Written-By – Jay Livingston And Ray Evans
2-8    All About You (Version 1) 7'03
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
2-9    Background Music (Version 2) 6'05
Written-By – Warne Marsh
3-1    Hi Beck 9'38
Written-By – Lee Konitz
3-2    Quintet Improvisation 2 3'56
Music By [Collective Improvisation] – Andre Vida, Anthony Braxton, Eivind Opsvik, Jackson Moore, Mike Szekely
3-3    Back Home 6'04
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
3-4    C-Bop (Version 1) 9'00
Written-By – Billy Lester
3-5    Wow! (Quartet) 6'23
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
3-6    Quintet Improvisation 3 3'04
Music By [Collective Improvisation] – Andre Vida, Anthony Braxton, Eivind Opsvik, Jackson Moore, Mike Szekely
3-7    Two Not One 10'20
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
3-8    No Figs 10'31
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
3-9    Turkish Mambo (Quartet) 4'10
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
4-1    April 6'15
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
4-2    Jonquil 5'38
Written-By – Billy Bauer
4-3    Aretha 10'04
Written-By – Ronnie Ball
4-4    Smog Eyes 6'34
Written-By – Ted Brown
4-5    Deep Friendship (Quartet) 5'14
Written-By – Connie Crothers
4-6    Subconscious-Lee 8'40
Written-By – Lee Konitz
4-7    Leave Me 9'54
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
4-8    Feather Bed (Version 1) 7'08
Written-By – Ted Brown
5-1    A Family Song 10'47
Written-By – Sal Mosca
5-2    Palo Alto 10'40
Written-By – Lee Konitz
5-3    Piano And Drums Improvisation 1 4'09
Music By [Collective Improvisation] – Anthony Braxton, Mike Szekely
5-4    It's A Blue World 4'04
Written-By – George Forrest, Robert Wright
5-5    Victory Ball (Trio) 5'59
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
5-6    Crosscurrent (Quartet) 6'23
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
5-7    Lennie's Pennies 10'04
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
5-8    Tautology 5'56
Written-By – Lee Konitz
6-1    Marshmallow 12'51
Written-By – Warne Marsh
6-2    Piano And Bass Improvisation 3'56
Music By [Collective Improvisation] – Anthony Braxton, Eivind Opsvik
6-3    Progression 5'15
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
6-4    Jazz Of Two Cities 8'32
Written-By – Ted Brown
6-5    C-Bop (Version 2) 8'04
Written-By – Billy Lester
6-6    Quintet Improvisation 1 4'41
Music By [Collective Improvisation] – Andre Vida, Anthony Braxton, Eivind Opsvik, Jackson Moore, Mike Szekely
6-7    Ablution 9'11
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
6-8    Baby (Quartet) 4'41
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
7-1    Feather Bed (Version 2) 8'38
Written-By – Ted Brown
7-2    Ice Cream Konitz (Quartet) 6'25
Written-By – Lee Konitz
7-3    Piano And Drums Improvisation 2 2'56
Music By [Collective Improvisation] – Anthony Braxton, Mike Szekely
7-4    Long Gone 5'45
Written-By – Warne Marsh
7-5    Lennie-Bird (Trio) 5'31
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
7-6    Victory Ball 4'31
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
7-7    Background Music (Version 1) 9'39
Music By – Warne Marsh
7-8    All About You (Version 2) 7'34
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
7-9    You Go To My Head 2'55
Written-By – Gillespie, Coots
7-10    Wow! 6'19
Written-By – Lennie Tristano
7-11    Ice Cream Konitz (Trio) 5'18
Written-By – Lee Konitz
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Jackson Moore
Bass – Eivind Opsvik
Drums – Mike Szekely
Piano – Anthony Braxton
Producer [Produced By] – Anthony Braxton
Tenor Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Bass Saxophone, Contrabass Saxophone, C Melody Saxophone [C-Melody Saxophone] – Andre Vida

ANTHONY BRAXTON : Composition No. 102 (For Orchestra & Puppet Theatre) (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Perhaps the most restrained piece of music he's ever written, Anthony Braxton's "Composition No. 102" features a 36-piece orchestra and three puppeteers (the puppets they operate are 25 feet tall!). According to the liner notes, Braxton's intention here, besides trying to enter into a world of composition for the whole family, is to augment the listening experience with a visual one of controlled and carefully notated movement, and absorb the listener/viewer in a fantasy world where the bird's-eye view is either from the world of dreams or from the catbird seat on a cloud. Braxton's wild -- and often visionary -- theories are nothing new; his completely impenetrable Tri-Axium Writings are full of the stuff. The trick is that more often than not he actually pulls this stuff off. In the case of "Composition No. 102," he delivers with a score that is rich in tonal color -- the guitar section alone is five pieces -- while being both deceptively repetitive and hypnotically active. Long, slowly evolving phrases are played over and over in section one, the processional, to denote that this is ceremonial or ritual music. It gives way, after transforming itself into another phrase harmonically -- with different instrumental timbres standing in for the original voices, etc. -- before entering into a period of restricted spatial improvisation and contrapuntal discussion. The "First Ceremony," then, is a part of the work where the puppets are going through their solo and interactive engagements and the players are ushering the movement in, while creating a musical tongue that enhances the movement onstage and off. A transition then takes place, melding both consonant and dissonant voices before creating another "ceremony" from the resultant equations of the first. Finally, as dissonance and consonance become assonance, the final fanfare can take place. Brass, reeds, strings, electric guitars, drums, and other instruments wind around the themes Braxton has written to "reclaim" their individual tones, but as one orchestra. If it sounds academic, it is. But that doesn't make it unfeeling or unlistenable -- far from it. This is one of the more outstanding works for large ensemble he's ever written, highlighting the entire panorama of orchestral colors Braxton has always claimed were possible but hadn't displayed yet. A necessity for any listener who's studied Braxton with consistency -- a beguiling mixture of control and fantasy.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Composition No. 102 (For Orchestra & Puppet Theatre)    
1    Opening Procession    14:22
2    First Ceremony    25:52
3    Transition    6:23
4    Third Ceremony    17:24
5    Closing Fanfare    4:13
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Allen Livermore, David Kasher, Matthew Lee, Niko Higgins
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Jackson Moore
Bass – Dirck Westervelt, Michael Lenore
Cello – Anil Seth, Vivian Lee
Composed By, Conductor, Liner Notes – Anthony Braxton
Cornet – Daniel Young
Euphonium [Double Belled Euphonium] – Stewart Gillmor
Flugelhorn – Taylor Ho Bynum
Flute – April Monroe, Christine Whitledge
Guitar – Dan Gilbert, Edmond Cho, Kevin O'Neil, Nathaniel Delafield, Thom Loubet
Keyboards – Robert Weythman
Koto [13 String Koto] – Brett Larner
Melodica – Sung Kim
Oboe – Raphael Cohen
Orchestra – The Wesleyan Creative Orchestra
Other [Puppeteer No-1] – Joshua Shimkin
Other [Puppeteer No-2] – Owen Benediktsson
Other [Puppeteer No-3] – Demian Mason
Percussion – Josh Rosenblatt, Rene Muslin
Piano – Eric Ronick, Kevin Uehinger, Michael Buescher, Michael Thompson, Ronaldo Garces
Soprano Vocals – Dorene Zjawinski
Trombone – John Speck
Trumpet – Sam Hoyt, Steve Laronga, Zach See
Violin – Nickie Braxton

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. 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