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 - Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995 (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In his liner notes to this disc, Bill Shoemaker relates that the members of Braxton's group for this date had spent a good deal of time studying his "book," expecting various past compositions and sound territories to be explored for this recording date. When they arrived for the session, however, they were met not only by new Braxton pieces, but by an entirely new approach on the part of the composer: the inauguration of what would come to be known as his Ghost Trance Music. Generally, this sub-genre is characterized by a repeated unison melodic line played in evenly stressed eighth notes which wanders somewhat willy-nilly across the scale but is held by at least two of the instrumentalists at any given time throughout the piece. Soloists, to the extent they may be considered as such, offer embroideries on this central stalk only to return to the pattern after a time, allowing others to spin their own elaboration. If it is reminiscent of anything in Braxton's prior output, it might be said to bear some similarity to his Kelvin series compositions from the early '70s. For all its surface simplicity, there's a good deal of complex interaction taking place. As this was the first exposure for these musicians to this new conception, it's not surprising that they play with a bit of hesitancy during sections of this album. Subsequent recordings would offer meatier readings of this aspect of Braxton's work (notably Composition 193 for Tentet), but it's certainly fascinating to witness its genesis here. The colors utilized (especially with Norton dwelling for extended periods on various metallophones) serve to create a bright and playful atmosphere, a welcome approach to music that had the potential to sound a little dry and academic. It is refreshing to see that Braxton's music, always very demanding of its listeners, remained so well into the '90s. Brian Olewnick  
Tracklist :
1    Composition No. 182    12:17
2    Composition No. 183    9:51
3    Composition No. 184    19:51
4    Composition No. 181    16:03
Credits :
Accordion – Ted Reichman
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone [E-Flat Sopranino Saxophone], Soprano Clarinet [B-Flat Clarinet], Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Percussion – Kevin Norton

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Knitting Factory (Piano/Quartet) 1994, Vol. 1 (1995) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Braxton debuted as a small-group pianist during a week-long engagement at the Knitting Factory in late 1994. This gargantuan two-disc set documents that semi-auspicious occasion. The band is made up of solid downtown N.Y.C. professionals -- Marty Ehrlich on saxes and clarinet, Joe Fonda on bass, and Pheeroan Aklaff on drums; the repertoire comprised of several not-too-familiar standards by Charles Mingus, Lennie Tristano, and Thelonious Monk, among others. Braxton's pianistic style is much like his alto style. His rhythms are not even subdivisions of the beat. Braxton treats the pulse as a fence on which to hang the rhythms when he feels the urge, though he's just as likely to run alongside it, or ignore its existence altogether; he treats the harmonies with a similar bashful regard. His technique is that of an ingenious autodidact; he can definitely play, in his own way, but the way he treats the music is almost too personal. There's not much here that relates to tradition, and this vein of jazz is inextricably bound to tradition. This album is interesting in its way, but better to hear Braxton perform his own compositions in his native tongue than someone else's tunes in a borrowed language, even if he speaks that language in such a colorful and discerning dialect. Chris Kelsey  
Tracklist :
1-1    Wow 18:53
Written-By – L.Tristano
1-2    Darn That Dream 13:10
Written-By – De Lange, Van Heusen
1-3    In Your Own Sweet Way 14:46
Written-By – D.Brubeck
1-4    Self Portrait In Three Colours 16:24
Written-By – C. Mingus
1-5    Off Minor 12:05
Written-By – T.Monk
2-1    Epistrophy 21:27
Written-By – K.Clarke, T.Monk
2-2    The Song Is You 12:48
Written-By – Kern, Hammerstein
2-3    The Star-Crossed Lovers 11:30
Written-By – B.Strayhorn, D.Ellington
2-4    Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 16:05
Written-By – C.Mingus
2-5    Virgo 13:48
Written-By – W.Shorter
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet – Marty Ehrlich
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums – Pheeroan AkLaff
Piano – Anthony Braxton

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Knitting Factory (Piano/Quartet) 1994, Vol. 2 (2000) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This two-CD set completes Knitting Factory (Piano\Quartet) 1994, Vol. 1 (Leo) and the four-CD set Piano Quartet, Yoshi's 1994 (Music & Arts) in documenting Braxton's 1994 quartet. This production stands aside Braxton's impressive body of work for two reasons: first, he sits at the piano; second, the quartet plays jazz standards instead of his own compositions. Actually, with this piano quartet, the saxophonist-turned-pianist took everybody to jazz school. Crossing -- no, transcending -- genre boundaries, Braxton moves from swing to cool to bebop and back, all the while never letting go of his love for free jazz. Essentially, Braxton puts every jazz influence that came his way during his musical upbringing in the boiler and distillates a powerful ersatz. The quartet's renditions can be very faithful at times, very mainstream. These moments are propelled by Marty Erlich's soulful saxophone (he's in his best shape on "I Remember Clifford") and Joe Fonda's bass (joyful solo on "Tadd's Delight"). Then again, this is Braxton and his subversive language is never quiet for very long. Every tune moves in and out of focus: Erlich might be stating the melody from Cole Porter's "I Love You" but then the piano accompaniment disintegrates, Pheeroan AkLaff starts working around the beat, and gradually the band follows into free jazz territory. When the tune comes out of group improvisation and back into focus, it might not be the same one after all, since these are continuous sets and the band sometimes moves from one piece to the next through musical osmosis. Knitting Factory (Piano\Quartet) 1994, Vol. 2 is a powerful jazz lesson from a master. François Couture 
Tracklist :
1-1    I Love You 9:24
Written-By – C. Porter
1-2    Little Niles 11:18
Written-By – R.Weston
1-3    I Remember Clifford 15:28
Written-By – B. Golson
1-4    Blue Bossa 12:56
Written-By – K. Dorham
1-5    Tadd's Delight 11:14
Written-By – T. Dameron
2-1    Reincarnation Of A Lovebird 17:01
Written-By – C. Mingus
2-2    For Heaven's Sake 13:12
Written-By – D.Meyer, E.Bretton, S. Edwards
2-3    Brilliant Corners 12:49
Written-By – T. Monk
2-4    Milestones 15:14
Written-By – M. Davis
2-5    Intro To When Sunny Gets Blue 2:37
Written-By – A. Braxton
2-6    When Sunny Gets Blue 13:21
Written-By – J.O. Segal, M.Fisher
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet – Marty Ehrlich
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums – Pheeroan AkLaff
Piano – Anthony Braxton

ANTHONY BRAXTON - GTM (Knitting Factory) 1997 Vol. 1 & 2 (2011) 2CD | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1.1    Composition No. 194    1:12:47
2.1    Composition No. 195    59:09
Credits :
Bass – Joe Fonda
Electric Guitar – Kevin O'Neil
Percussion – Kevin Norton
Reeds, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Violin – Gregor Kitzis

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 - Sextet (Istanbul) 1996 (1996) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Of the Braxton House recordings, the Sextet (Istanbul, 1996) issue is the best of the instrumental recordings released by the label. Recorded at the Akbank Jazz Festival in October of 1995, the sextet Braxton employs to perform the first compositions in his Ghost Trance Musics series is made of veteran improvisers rather than students: Braxton plays all of his usual instruments, while Roland Dahinden plays tenor and alto trombones, Jason Hwang appears on violin, Ted Reichman on accordion, Joe Fonda on bass, and Kevin Norton holds down an entire percussion section, including marimbas, glockenspiels, a drum kit, vibraphone, and other assorted instruments. The Ghost Trance Musics make up roughly Compositions 185-195 in Braxton's oeuvre thus far. Here "Composition 185" and "Composition 186" are performed in their entirety without any of the side-walling or mainstays from the middles of other compositions skating their way into the mix. Essentially, both compositions are engaged thoroughly with theme and variation. Ostinato is the heartbeat, the pulse of each of the works. The improvisational sections take place in the middle of these scalar thematics, which are designed in multiples of three-instruments, measures, bars, melodies, etc. Braxton seems to be going after something he can't quite nail down here, and the band knows it. This is when he's at his best, when in pursuit of an ethereal something that gives him glimpses of an ideal but then slips away like mercury under the thumb. Here tonal studies match contrapuntal ones; timbral intrigues are given host to melodic threads and augmented harmonic passageways into the maze. Make no mistake, this ensemble isn't nearly as capable of careening through Braxton's music as the classic quartet was, but they don't have to be because this music is far more structured and doesn't lend itself as much to individual improvisational voice or to fiery pyrotechnics. Instead the sextet is a unit that relies of nuance and the trace elements in the composition that lend themselves to acts of surprise and spontaneity.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition No. 185    38:31
1-2    Composition No. 186    19:09
2-1    Composition No. 186 (Continued)    40:19
Credits :
Accordion – Ted Reichman
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone [E-flat], Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Flute, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Anthony Braxton
Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Marimba, Percussion – Kevin Norton
Tenor Trombone, Trombone [Alto Trombone] – Roland Dahinden

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 | JOE FONDA - Duets 1995 (2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    All Of You    9:50
2    Rentlessness    10:29
3    Out Of The Cage    5:05
4    Something From The Past    5:30
5    Composition No. 168 + (147 + 63)    10:24
6    Composition No. 136    10:07
7    Composition No. 173    11:17
8    Autumn In New York    10:08
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet, Clarinet, Flute – Anthony Braxton
Contrabass – Joe Fonda

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Anthony Braxton's Charlie Parker Project (1995) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On this double CD the innovative altoist Anthony Braxton (who also plays a bit of his sopranino and the remarkable contrabass clarinet) interprets 13 bebop songs (two taken twice), 11 of which were composed by Charlie Parker. However, do not mistake these performances (which are comprised of both a studio session and a club set) with the type of music often played by the Young Lions. In fact, those listeners who consider themselves bop purists are advised to look elsewhere. Performing with an adventurous sextet that also includes Ari Brown on tenor and soprano, trumpeter Paul Smoker, pianist Misha Mengelberg (the most consistently impressive of the supporting cast), bassist Joe Fonda, and either Han Bennink or Pheeroan AkLaff on drums, Braxton uses the melodies and some of the original structures of such tunes as "Hot House," "Night in Tunisia," "Bebop," and "Ko Ko" as the basis for colorful and often-stunning improvisations. He does not feel restricted to the old boundaries of the 1940s and '50s, preferring to pay tribute to the spirit and chance-taking of Charlie Parker rather than to merely recreate the past. The passionate and unpredictable results are quite stimulating and full of surprises, fresh ideas and wit. It's highly recommen Scott Yanow  
Tracklist :
1-1    Hot House 15:06
Composed By – Tadd Dameron
1-2    A Night In Tunisia 9:03
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
1-3    Dewey Square    12:28
1-4    Klactoveesedstene    8:46
1-5    An Oscar For Treadwell    19:38
2-1    Bebop 8:22
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
2-2    Bongo Bop    6:45
2-3    Yardbird Suite    8:14
2-4    A Night In Tunisia 8:28
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
2-5    Passport    6:30
2-6    Klactoveesedstene    7:07
2-7    Scrapple From The Apple    5:15
2-8    Mohawk    2:45
2-9    Slippin' At Bells    4:08
2-10    Koko    7:36
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Composed By – Charlie Parker
Double Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums – Han Bennink (pistas: 1-1 to 1-5), Pheeroan AkLaff (pistas: 2-1 to 2-10)
Piano – Misha Mengelberg
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ari Brown
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Paul Smoker

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

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Sextet (Parker) 1993 (2018) 11CD BOX-SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

"I think he exemplifies the spirit Charlie Parker had - the fact that he dares to do something different, to try another direction." (Max Roach discussing Anthony Braxton)

On March 2nd, 2018, the Tri-Centric Foundation and New Braxton House Records will release Anthony Braxton's "Sextet (Parker) 1993" - an epic 11-CD deluxe box set meticulously documenting Braxton's now legendary European tour performing music composed by and associated with Charlie Parker. As Stuart Broomer writes in his extensive liner essay, "we've come across a signal here in which two of the greatest minds of African-American music have somehow crossed their signals, crossed and combined, fused, modulated, and combined with others."

Widely revered as one of the most original composers and conceptualists of the past fifty years, Anthony Braxton has also pursued his own idiosyncratic path through the jazz repertoire throughout his career - from his 1974 recording "What's New in the Tradition" to his seven-album tribute to Lennie Tristano, "Quintet (Tristano) 2014". This Charlie Parker project stands as the centerpiece of that journey, a body of music that simultaneously acknowledges, expands, and explodes the bebop tradition, re-radicalizing Parker's musical revolution.

As Braxton approaches his 75th birthday (arriving in 2020), and increasingly his own compositions became favored repertoire of emerging musicians from both the jazz and new music communities the world over, it is fascinating to see his in-depth examination of another artist's oeuvre. This recording offers insight on both Braxton and Parker - demonstrating the clear roots of a still-searching experimentalist, and reminding the listener of the joyful liberation inherent in Parker's genius.

Braxton is joined by an extraordinary band well-versed in both the jazz tradition and creative music practice: pioneering Dutch pianist Misha Mengelberg, the undersung trumpet master Paul Smoker, Chicago tenor sax stalwart Ari Brown, the rock-solid bassist Joe Fonda, and the volcanic drummer Pheeroan akLaff. (Another Dutch jazz innovator, drummer Han Bennink, substitutes for akLaff on one disc). Representing multiple communities, styles, and generations, the interplay between the performers is sublime. Each musician is pushed to the height of their skills and rises to the challenge in this one-time only meeting - never again would this group assemble. (With the recent passing of Smoker and Mengelberg, the set also serves as a worthy tribute to their brilliance.)

Near the 25th anniversary of the original recordings, this reissue massively expands upon the original two-disc set released in 1995 by Hathut Records under the title "Anthony Braxton's Charlie Parker Project 1993." The deluxe 11-CD box set, with a 26-page booklet including Broomer's insightful essay and rare historical photographs, will be solely available in a limited-edition run of 500 copies. (The music will also be available for streaming or digital download via Bandcamp.) As Broomer writes, "The music satisfies a special need, engendered by jazz as history and idea, for simultaneous movements in time, both forwards and back, these ecstatic arcs in time that link these musicians and this art in a thousand ways, the ways in which this music never sounds contrived, the way it shares with us its own expansive space." https://newbraxtonhouse.bandcamp.com
Tracklist :
1-1    Confirmation 10:27
Composed By – Charlie Parker
1-2    Quasimodo 10:33
Composed By – Charlie Parker
1-3    Don't Blame Me 12:05
Composed By – Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields
1-4    Repetition 5:06
Composed By – Neal Hefti
1-5    Klactoveedsedstene 6:44
Composed By – Charlie Parker
1-6    Relaxin' At Camarillo 15:39
Composed By – Charlie Parker
2-1    Darn That Dream 11:49
Composed By – Eddie Delange, Jimmy Van Heusen
2-2    Hot House 14:06
Composed By – Tadd Dameron
2-3    Laura 8:43
Composed By – David Raskin, Johnny Mercer
2-4    Scrapple From The Apple 5:18
Composed By – Charlie Parker
2-5    Bebop 17:06
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
2-6    Charlie's Wig 6:51
Composed By – Charlie Parker
2-7    Klactoveedsedstene 6:49
Composed By – Charlie Parker
3-1    Autumn In New York 9:10
Composed By – Vernon Duke
3-2    Parker Melodies 34:47
Composed By – Charlie Parker
3-3    Yardbird Suite 9:25
Composed By – Charlie Parker
3-4    Ari/Mischa Duo 1:48
Composed By – Charlie Parker
3-5    Charlie's Wig 6:36
Composed By – Charlie Parker
3-6    Klactoveedsedstene 6:51
Composed By – Charlie Parker
4-1    A Night In Tunisia 8:30
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
4-2    Another Hair-Do 10:37
Composed By – Charlie Parker
4-3    Sippin' At Bell's 4:10
Composed By – Miles Davis
4-4    An Oscar For Treadwell 9:00
Composed By – Charlie Parker
4-5    Bongo Bop 7:14
Composed By – Charlie Parker
4-6    Blues For Alice 11:13
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-1    Dewey Square 15:33
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-2    Mohawk 3:34
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-3    Repetition 4:17
Composed By – Neal Hefti
5-4    An Oscar For Treadwell 7:56
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-5    A Night In Tunisia 6:23
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-6    Quasimodo 10:01
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-7    Cardboard 8:16
Composed By – Charlie Parker
5-8    Koko 7:30
Composed By – Charlie Parker
6-1    Milestones 7:47
Composed By – John Lewis
6-2    Hot House 12:52
Composed By – Tadd Dameron
6-3    Klactoveedsedstene 7:07
Composed By – Charlie Parker
6-4    Yardbird Suite 8:10
Composed By – Charlie Parker
6-5    Passport 6:20
Composed By – Charlie Parker
6-6    Repetition 4:20
Composed By – Neal Hefti
6-7    A Night In Tunisia 6:22
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
7-1    Hot House 15:51
Composed By – Tadd Dameron
7-2    A Night In Tunisia 8:59
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
7-3    An Oscar For Treadwell 19:22
Composed By – Charlie Parker
7-4    Dewey Square 12:25
Composed By – Charlie Parker
7-5    Repetition 5:11
Composed By – Neal Hefti
7-6    Klactoveedsedstene 10:49
Composed By – Charlie Parker
8-1    Hot House 15:18
Composed By – Tadd Dameron
8-2    Another Hair-Do 16:26
Composed By – Charlie Parker
8-3    April In Paris 4:59
Composed By – E.Y. Harburg, Vernon Duke
8-4    An Oscar For Treadwell 28:32
Composed By – Charlie Parker
9-1    Repetition 5:12
Composed By – Neal Hefti
9-2    Don't Blame Me 10:37
Composed By – Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields
9-3    Confirmation 13:03
Composed By – Charlie Parker
9-4    A Night In Tunisia 11:41
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
9-5    Dewey Square 14:52
Composed By – Charlie Parker
9-6    Klactoveedsedstene 5:34
Composed By – Charlie Parker
10-1    Darn That Dream 12:05
Composed By – Eddie Delange, Jimmy Van Heusen
10-2    Autumn In New York 7:56
Composed By – Vernon Duke
10-3    Sippin' At Bell's 5:35
Composed By – Miles Davis
10-4    Bebop 8:25
Composed By – Dizzy Gillespie
10-5    Another Hair-Do 10:32
Composed By – Charlie Parker
10-6    Koko 7:13
Composed By – Charlie Parker
11-1    Repetition 5:03
Composed By – Neal Hefti
11-2    Cardboard 10:10
Composed By – Charlie Parker
11-3    Blues For Alice 10:34
Composed By – Charlie Parker
11-4    Confirmation 10:12
Composed By – Charlie Parker
11-5    Don't Blame Me 13:05
Composed By – Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields
11-6    Cheryl 9:39
Composed By – Charlie Parker
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 1-1 to 2-7, 3-2, 3-5 to 11-6)
Bass – Joe Fonda (pistas: 1-1 to 3-3, 3-5 to 4-4, 4-6 to 8-2, 8-4 to 11-6)
Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 2-4)
Drums – Han Bennink (pistas: 7-1 to 7-6), Pheeroan akLaff (pistas: 1-1 to 2-3, 2-5 to 2-7, 3-2, 3-4 to 4-2, 4-4, 4-6, 5-1, 5-3 to 6-3, 6-6, 6-7, 8-1, 8-2, 8-4 to 10-1, 10-4 to 11-6)
Flute – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 5-2, 5-7)
Piano – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 3-1, 3-3, 6-1, 6-4), Misha Mengelberg (pistas: 1-1 to 3-1, 3-4 to 4-2, 4-4 to 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, 6-5 to 10-1, 10-4 to 11-6)
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ari Brown (pistas: 1-4 to 2-2, 2-5 to 2-7, 3-2 to 3-4, 3-6, 4-1, 4-4 to 4-6, 5-3 to 5-5, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4. 6-6, 6-7, 7-2, 7-3, 7-5, 7-6, 8-4, 9-1, 9-4, 9-6, 10-1, 10-4, 11-1, 11-3)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Paul Smoker (pistas: 1-1 to 1-6, 2-2, 2-5 to 2-7, 3-2 to 4-4, 4-6 to 5-6, 5-8 to 6-4, 6-6 to 7-3, 7-5 to 8-2, 8-4 to 9-4, 9-6, 10-3 to 11-1, 11-3 to 11-6)

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Piano Quartet, Yoshi's 1994 (1996) 4CD SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Piano Quartet, Yoshi's 1994 is a four-CD collection focusing on the live dates Anthony Braxton's short-lived piano quartet played at Yoshi's Nitespot in Oakland, CA, in 1994. They mark the debut of Anthony Braxton as a pianist in a live jazz quartet setting, and were savaged fairly thoroughly by jazz critics when first issued. It's true that hindsight is 20/20, but in the case of Braxton's pianism in this band, those critiques were motivated, it seems, not by the actual merits (or lack thereof) of Braxton's ability to play the instrument, but by the same insensitivity, meanness of spirit, and complete lack of understanding that has followed him his entire career. This four-CD box covers four sets in the life of a band that included Marty Ehrlich on saxophones and clarinet, Joe Fonda on bass, and drummer Arthur L. Fuller. The material all comes from the jazz canon, many of the tunes standards, many others uncommon choices. The most important aspect of the way the music works between these musicians, and how it comes off on these recordings is how closely they follow the dictum Braxton uses in his own, and in performing his own material. Disc one opens with John Coltrane's "Exotica," a modal workout based around a four-chord figure. Ehrlich states the theme, Braxton follows with some outrageous vamping in the lower register, and the rhythm section sets the flow, fills space, and plays tags and flourishes wherever needed. The reading is fairly straight, with Ehrlich soloing primarily on the changes and keeping his harmonic nuances within the color range. Braxton begins what is to be on this set a norm; he challenges dynamics and drama and textures his solo with those moments, and with angular and scalar figures that point in the direction of the entire band rather than at himself as a soloist. This is where the early criticism came in. Braxton doesn't play piano like a soloist, though he most certainly is one here; he plays like the head of the rhythm section. But it is on Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'N You" and its proceeding tune, Mal Waldron's classic "Soul Eyes," that the quartet's M.O. really gets stated. From the open tonal figures in the Gillespie tune, Braxton establishes that this will be, as in his own work, a primary compositional palette to let others flow from. "Soul Eyes" comes directly out of "Woody 'N You" in the same way Braxton's major compositions beget minor ones in the same metric, procedural, or improvisational space (sometimes all three). On subsequent tunes in this set -- "Stablemates" and "Marionette" -- as well as in the other three sets on discs two through four, this is the case. Usually the first tune in a set will stand on its own as a way for the band to ground itself. These, like Dave Brubeck's "The Duke" and Miles Davis' "Nardis," are deceptive, however, and the key is in Braxton's solos. As Ehrlich weaves through one melodic statement after another, moving against the harmony of the actual tune in places, Braxton is already quoting what is to come either in his comping or in his soloing. Using wide percussive chords and shapely triads of contrapuntal harmonics, on set two he begins a setup where J.J. Johnson's "Lament" will become the primary composition from which Thelonious Monk's "Pannonica," "Star Eyes," "I Remember You," and "Along Came Betty" by Benny Golson all wind their way out of. It's remarkable, really, that each of these tunes can be contained in a tonal universe by the one root. It's one thing to hear Braxton do this with his own music, but to feel this pin from the classic canon is quite another. In this way each tune is heard not only as every other, but jazz in general is heard as an interloping music, capable of such linguistic force and echo that nothing in it remains fixed or finite. And then there is the playing itself. Certainly, Anthony Braxton is not the most gifted pianist in jazz, but it hardly matter because he can play like a serious jazz musician, and more importantly he can play as a composer who can hear the fluctuations of tone and timbre in the most minute segments of a tune's melody or harmony. In his soloing he tends to move off the cuff, chopping off a section or a fragment stated in the changes and moving it into its own direction, shaping it as an alternate structural framework on which the tune can either turn or be heard. This is what great improvisers do, and Braxton on a piano is every bit as deft at this as he is on a saxophone. His solos in "Lush Life," "Line for Lyons," "Body and Soul," and Johnny Mercer's "Early Autumn" create entirely new spaces for these classic tunes to inhabit. Whether it is by dynamic shading (where Braxton can hardly be heard and then shifts into a pounding frenzy of diminished ninths and augmented tenths) or chromaticism, where he takes Ehrlich's gorgeous counterpoint lines and weaves color balance, shade, and depth into them via trills and lower register rubato, the effect couldn't be more chilling. No matter which font of tonal inspiration this set reveals, this band never got to realize its full potential because of the various commitments and restless natures of its two principals. Nonetheless, this collection is more than a document; it is a development not only in Braxton's ever evolving and often confounding esthetic, but in the development of jazz itself as an interconnected, meta-textual music whose roots and branches are more deeply embedded into one another than we previously believed. The piano quartet has made a first step in dragging the roots out to be more closely examined in a driving, singing, swinging way.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist 1 :
1     Exotica 13:16
John Coltrane
2     Woody 'N You 8:14
Dizzy Gillespie
3     Soul Eyes 15:54
Mal Waldron
4     Bluesette 12:45
Jean-Baptiste Thielemans        
5     Stablemates 9:57
Benny Golson
6     Marionette 11:32
Billy Bauer
7     Cherokee 5:03
Ray Noble
Tracklist 2 :
1     The Duke 9:22
Dave Brubeck
2     Nica's Dream 13:18
Horace Silver    
3     Lament 10:50
J.J. Johnson
4     Pannonica 10:41
Thelonious Monk
5     Star Eyes 8:47
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
6     I Remember You 12:37
Johnny Mercer / Victor Schertzinger
7     Along Came Betty 9:40
Benny Golson
Tracklist 3 :
1     Line for Lyons 14:12
Gerry Mulligan    
2     Joy Spring 10:09
Clifford Brown
3     Lush Life 16:22
Billy Strayhorn
4     Jinrikisha 13:38
Joe Henderson
5     What's New? 15:14
Johnny Burke / Bob Haggart
6     Minority 9:03
Gigi Gryce
Tracklist 4 :
1     Nardis 13:49
Miles Davis
2     Booker's Waltz 8:58
Eric Dolphy
3     Body and Soul 7:45
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour    
4     Just Friends 13:36
John Klenner / Sam M. Lewis
5     Afternoon in Paris 11:22
John Lewis
6     I Can't Get Started 15:01
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
7     Early Autumn 8:29
Ralph Burns / Woody Herman / Johnny Mercer
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet – Marty Ehrlich
Bass – Joe Fonda
Percussion – Arthur Fuller
Piano – Anthony Braxton

ARCHIE SHEPP - Phat Jam In Milano (2009) FLAC (tracks), lossless

It had been quite some time in between releases for Archie Shepp, and this 2009 issue adds to his reputation as a musician who has always been known for mixing progressive modern jazz with spoken word. This live performance in Milano, Italy, at the Teatro Manzoni during the Festival Apertivo teams Shepp with a formidable band alongside fellow creative alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, drummer Hamid Drake, solid improvising bassist Joe Fonda, and rapper/poet Napoleon Maddox. The mutual respect between all of these artists is clear and present, as the group weaves in the outspoken music of the saxophonists with bold invention and pointed statements about current society and politics via Napoleon's wordplay. It's an engaging set of music that comes expected from the participants, but is consistently surprising in its depth and substance about recent events. If you remember Shepp's great story of "Mama Rose" from years past, "Revolution" will strike a similar chord as he talks about his grandma; slavery; a time with no instruments aside from bodies; and a trip from Philadelphia to San Francisco to Baghdad, looking for the sun amidst war. Maddox is quite the lithe linguist, speaking about "doing what you got to do" on the funky rap "Dig," and railing against the foibles of the George W. Bush administration's "illegal business controlling America" during the lengthy "Ill Biz." Lake and Shepp together push the harmonic envelope like few other sax tandems on the modal Latin jazz piece "Casket," while a third saxophonist, Cochemea Gastelum, joins in on occasion. For most listeners, a highly modified version of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" will seem an odd inclusion, but the band pulls it off. The original plodding drum beat of John Bonham is replaced by a much faster funky rhythm as the horns chip and bark while the frantic, manic rapping of Maddox refers to letting life pass by too fast, enjoying the natural and spiritual, and saying "I live because I was once dead." As these players have certainly expressed their share of freedom through music, so they do once again with an upbeat fervor, timely themes, and the animated Maddox raising the level of this hybrid art form to new contemporary heights. In many ways, it's a triumphant return for the unflappable and ever evolving Archie Shepp. Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     Dig 5'38
Napoleon Maddox
2     Ill Biz 11'04
Claire Daly / Napoleon Maddox
3     Kashmir 11'36
John Bonham / Napoleon Maddox / Jimmy Page
4     The Life We Chose 6'18
Aaron Albano / Napoleon Maddox
5     Revolution 13'26
Archie Shepp
6     Casket 9'08
Napoleon Maddox
7     Ill Biz 3'38
Claire Daly / Napoleon Maddox
Credits
Double Bass – Joe Fonda
Drums – Hamid Drake
Rap, Human Beatbox – Napoleon Maddox
Saxophone – Cochemea Gastelum, Oliver Lake
Voice, Saxophone – Archie Shepp