MARTY EHRLICH | PETER ERSKINE | MICHAEL FORMANEK — Relativity (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

You might justifiably expect sparks to fly on this collaborative effort, given the careers of Ehrlich and his compatriots, trio members Michael Formanek and Peter Erskine. Unfortunately, it rarely happens, and while all three are exquisite players individually, this disappointing, often tepid recording stands as an opportunity not fully realized. In part it might be the result of different styles: Ehrlich, of course, is the more adventurous of the group, but Erskine, whose heart is usually in more commercial ventures, seems comfortable with the music. The pieces are all originals by the trio members, but there are times when a certain boredom pervades the music. To be fair, there are some aggressive, exciting moments, too, but they are the exception. Ehrlich continues to show remarkable versatility on alto and tenor saxophones, clarinet, and flute (where he is particularly lyrical). Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1    Incident At Harpham Flat    6:42
 Michael Formanek
2    Eloi Lament    5:44
 Peter Erskine
3    Lucky Life    9:19
 Marty Ehrlich
4    The Pivot    6:52
 Marty Ehrlich
5    Holy Waters    5:52
 Michael Formanek
6    Round The Four Corners    6:41
 Marty Ehrlich
7    Jiggle The Handle    8:35
 Michael Formanek
8    Relativo    3:42
 Peter Erskine
9    Taglioni    6:04
 Don Grolnick
10    In A Child's Eyes    4:15
 Michael Formanek
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Marty Ehrlich
Double Bass – Michael Formanek
Drums – Peter Erskine

ANTHONY BRAXTON - The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (2011) RM | 8CD BOX SET | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Cam Jazz's Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note series rolls on with this set by Anthony Braxton, who cut eight full-lengths for then owner Giovanni Bondarini. The first of these is an excellent studio duet with Max Roach, entitled Rebirth, recorded in 1978; the final album in this box is a curiosity piece composed for a multimedia performance entitled Braxton: Compostion No. 173, recorded in 1996. While the bookends are compelling for Braxton's devotees, the real attraction to this budget-priced box lies in his quartet recordings. There are two with Marilyn Crispell, Gerry Hemingway, and Mark Dresser: Four Compositions (Quartet) 1983 and Six Compositions (Quartet) 1984. On Five Compositions (Quartet) 1986, David Rosenboom replaced Crispell. Six Monk Compositions 1987 is an entirely new band with Mal Waldron, bassist Buell Neidlinger, and drummer Bill Osborne holding the greatest appeal. The other two recordings are Ensemble Compositions 1992 (with Guy Klucevsek, Don Byron, and Marty Ehrlich as part of a larger group), and Eugene 1989 (where Braxton conducted the Northwest Creative Orchestra). It's easy to claim that anyone who would buy an Anthony Braxton box is a hardcore fan anyway, but in his case there are levels of that distinction. That said, this set is almost worth the purchase price just to have remastered versions of the two albums with the Crispell/Hemingway/Dresser group; these are standouts even in Braxton's vast catalog.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
CD1    Birth And Rebirth
CD2    Four Compositions (Quartet) 1983
CD3    Six Compositions (Quartet) 1984
CD4    Five Compositions (Quartet) 1986
CD5    Six Monk's Compositions (1987)
CD6    4 (Ensemble) Compositions 1992
CD7    Eugene (1989)
CD8    Composition No- 173 For 4 Actors, 14 Instrumentalists Constructed Environment And Video Projections    
All Tracks & Credits

ANTHONY BRAXTON - 4 (Ensemble) Compositions 1992 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition No. 100    15:41
2    Composition No. 96    10:16
3    Composition No. 164    23:09
4    Composition No. 163    24:09
Credits :
Accordion – Ted Reichman
Accordion, Other [Bodysounds] – Guy Klucevek
Artwork [Cover Art] – Niridan
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Randy McKean
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Don Byron
Conductor, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Anthony Braxton
Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Piccolo Flute – Marty Ehrlich
Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Clarinet, Flute [Bamboo] – J.D. Parran
Harp [Uncredited] – Anne LeBaron
Marimba, Vibraphone – Jay Hoggard
Organ, Voice – Amina Claudine Myers
Percussion – Warren Smith
Steel Drums – Lynden Achee
Trombone – John Rapson, Roland Dahinden
Trumpet – Robert Rumboltz

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 - 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