ANTHONY BRAXTON — Trio and Duet (1974-2002) FLAC (tracks), lossless

 This is a well-rounded album that features the remarkable Anthony Braxton in two separate settings. Braxton (on clarinet, contrabass clarinet and percussion) interacts with trumpeter Leo Smith and Richard Teitelbaum's synthesizer on an abstract original for 19 minutes. The remainder of the program has Braxton (on alto) performing three standards ("The Song Is You," "Embraceable You" and "You Go To My Head") in duets with bassist Dave Holland; those successful interactions are superior to Braxton's earlier "In The Tradition" projects. Recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    HM 421 (RTS) 47 19:00
Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Chimes, Bass Drum – Anthony Braxton
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Synthesizer [Moog], Percussion – Richard Teitelbaum
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trumpet [Pocket], Percussion, Performer [Small Instruments] – Leo Smith
2    The Song Is You 12:00
Written-By – Jerome Kern And Oscar Hammerstein II
3    Embraceable You 5:39
Written-By – George And Ira Gershwin
4    You Go To My Head 8:33
Written-By – Haven Gillespie, Fred Coot
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 2 to 4)
Bass – Dave Holland (pistas: 2 to 4)

RICHARD TEITELBAUM & ANTHONY BRAXTON - Time Zones (1977-1999) FLAC (tracks), lossless

"With Anthony Braxton" was a credit printed on this album's front and back cover in a typeface only a notch smaller than Richard Teitelbaum's name. Braxton is everywhere here, and has everything to do with this album. He plays in duo with Teitelbaum the electronics maestro on the entire album, and surely engineered the deal to make it possible for his buddy to release the record on Arista, which at that point held an exclusive contract with Braxton himself. It was also Braxton who basically promoted Teitelbaum within the confines of the avant-garde free jazz scene, talking him up in interviews and fitting pieces involving him into several different recording projects. There are tastes of the duos these artists have created splashed through the Braxton discography like ice cream stains on a rumpus room rug. This album combines a summer's evening live concert with a studio session cut the following fall, and is quite an accurate document of their work together in the '70s, complete with Braxton's usual dedications, this time to Roscoe Mitchell and Maryanne Amacher. This duo was one of the great instrumental combinations of the '70s, the reed arsenal of Braxton and seemingly unlimited sonic arsenal of Teitelbaum coming together like two great French chefs with a hall full of guests to feed. Each man never seems to stop listening, not only to each other but to a greater force as well, as if in complete understanding of the ramifications of each development. This album should satisfy a listener's desire to hear truly imaginative and successful improvisation involving both electronic and acoustic instruments. The album was later reissued, under Braxton's name, as part of a Black Lion package. Eugene Chadbourne  
Tracklist :
1    Crossing 24:29
Engineer [Recording] – Bill Warrell
2    Behemoth Dreams 21:24
Engineer – Thomas Mark
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Contrabass Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Clarinet, Clarinet [Eb], Contrabass Clarinet, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Bass – Dave Holland
Drums, Percussion – Barry Altschul
Trombone – George Lewis

ANTHONY BRAXTON — Open Aspects (Duo) 1982 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Braxton first met and played with synthesizer pioneer Richard Teitelbaum in the late '60s, when both were members of the outstanding electro-acoustic improvising group Musica Elettronica Viva. Unlike most practitioners from the jazz and rock communities who tended to use the instrument like some sort of psychedelic organ, Teitelbaum was one of the first improvisers who really fleshed out its entire sonic palette, using it as a generator of hitherto unheard electronic sounds. The two have played together both in duo format and as part of larger ensembles ever since; this recording documents one such duo meeting in 1982. It appears that this session took place around the time that Teitelbaum was experimenting with interactive computer systems which would record live musicians and respond, improvise if you will, in real time. On several occasions, Braxton's alto is looped and played back into the mix, though it's difficult to tell how much, if any, alteration is done. Teitelbaum's notably deft touch itself makes it hard to determine whether it's his reaction or the computer. Whatever the technical aspects of the recording, the musical results are first rate and always warmly imaginative. his approach is refreshingly nonacademic and both musician's pure enjoyment and listening ability is readily apparent. Though there is little reference to jazz traditions, there is a lovely nod to Riley-esque minimalism in some tracks and a surging piece riding high on waves of synthesized propulsion that's as close to rock as Braxton's ever likely to come. For listeners interested in this facet of the artist's musical world (the interaction with electronics) this is a vital release, but it's also a fine example of one of the points of merger between the jazz and classical avant-garde. Brian Olewnick
Tracklist :
1    Open Aspect #3    12:43
2    Open Aspect #1.2.    7:51
3    Open Aspect #2    13:50
4    Open Aspect #4    5:33
5    Open Aspect #5    10:24
Open Aspect #6    (7:29)
6.1    Open Aspect #6.1.    2:31
6.2    Open Aspect #6.2.    2:37
6.3    Open Aspect #6.3.    2:20
7    7 Open Aspect #1.1.    15:28
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Synthesizer [Moog], Computer [Micro Computer] – Richard Teitelbaum

ANTHONY BRAXTON | RICHARD TEITELBAUM - Silence / Time Zones (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This Black Lion release is an odd reissuing of two albums that, aside from Braxton's presence, have little to do with each other. The first is Silence, originally issued on Freedom in 1975 but recorded in 1969, one of his earliest sessions. He's part of a cooperative trio with violinist Leroy Jenkins and trumpeter Leo Smith (the group was also often joined by the late drummer Steve McCall) performing two lengthy, suite-like pieces. They're wonderful works, exploring a terrain similar to that being investigated by the Art Ensemble of Chicago around the same time: barebones themes allowing for substantial free improvisation that dealt as much with sonic space and the generation of unusual textures as anything else. "Silence," as the title implies, is largely concerned with the disposition of sounds in space and shows the strong influence that the contemporary classical world, particularly John Cage, had on these musicians in their early years. The two duo performances with synthesizer pioneer Richard Teitelbaum are also from separate dates, both in the summer of 1976. The two had a long and fruitful relationship and these pieces give a good idea why: both possessed probing intelligence that enabled them to dig deep into each other's individual musical languages, unearthing surprising common ground as well as acknowledging differences. "Crossing" is an extended conversation, replete with arguments and jokes, while "Behemoth Dreams" showcases Braxton's monstrous contrabass clarinet against Teitelbaum's throbs. The latter, presumably with a nod to the title's biblical associations, includes allusions to hymns like "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." As these two fine releases are tough to come by in their original forms, this fortuitous, though unlikely, pairing is one that shouldn't be passed up. Brian Olewnick  
Tracklist :
1    Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Leo Smith–    Off The Top Of My Head 16:43
Composed By – Jenkins
Saxophone, Instruments [Miscellaneous] – Anthony Braxton
Trumpet, Instruments [Miscellaneous] – Leo Smith
Violin, Instruments [Miscellaneous] – Leroy Jenkins
2    Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Leo Smith–    Silence 14:43
Composed By – Smith
Saxophone, Instruments [Miscellaneous] – Anthony Braxton
Trumpet, Instruments [Miscellaneous] – Leo Smith
Violin, Instruments [Miscellaneous] – Leroy Jenkins
3    Richard Teitelbaum With Anthony Braxton–    Crossing (Dedicated To Roscoe Mitchell) 23:08
Composed By – Teitelbaum
Recorded By – Bill Warrell
Sopranino Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Synthesizer [Modular Moog], Synthesizer [Micromoog] – Richard Teitelbaum
4    Richard Teitelbaum With Anthony Braxton–    Behmoth Dreams (Dedicated To Maryanne Amacher) 18:24
Composed By – Teitelbaum
Recorded By – Thomas Mark
Sopranino Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet – Anthony Braxton
Synthesizer [Modular Moog], Synthesizer [Micromoog] – Richard Teitelbaum
Notas.
1, 2 recorded on July 18, 1969 in Paris, France.
3 recorded live in concert on June 10, 1976 at the Creative Music Festival, Mount Temper, N. Y., and mixed at Sound Ideas, New York City.
4 recorded on September 16, 1976 at Bearsville Sound, Woodstock, New York.