URS LEIMGRUBER · FRITZ HAUSER — L'énigmatique (1992) Hat Jazz Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This 1991 pairing of two of Europe's finest free jazz and improv characters is a lesson in duo dynamics. Long before this date, Urs Leimgruber and Fritz Hauser knew each other well enough to dive deep into the sonic waters and trust that everything would come out OK. It came out better than that, in fact; this session is, for lack of a better term, a stunner. The sense of hearing that Leimgruber and Hauser show toward one another is so deep that they are able to display an economy of expression almost completely absent from the scene they participate in. On "The Arrival," Hauser moves first with a complex, constant 12/16 time signature while Leimgruber plays snake charmer over him. The music winds through two kinds of phraseology, involved only with sound and feeling and never method. The pace is very fast yet no extra notes are played, making the music sing. On "Distant Smell," tonal variation and spatial relationships are explored and elongated into a trancelike improvisation where the whisper of cymbals shimmers underneath soprano overtones by Leimgruber. He needs no drums to make his horn moan against the hushed ring of Hauser's "anti-percussion." And you can feel in this tune, and in the others here, genuine surprise on the part of the players. Leimgruber's tone on soprano is like Jackie McLean's alto -- the edge is part of the charm. His angularity in scalular investigation provides a wedge for intervallic expression by Hauser. On the title track that closes the set, Leimgruber multi-tracks his horns and Hauser's rhythms. The interwoven melody lines by soprano and tenor, playing like traffic signals against the rhythms, are playful and graceful, and they swing. Short, punchy phrases animate Hauser into Raymond Scott territory rhythmically. But the real gem here is the ten-minute "Long Forgotten Night," with its deep resonating percussion played from tom toms and log drums. From hushed phrases to long, droning soprano lines, Hauser and Leimgruber call out of the desolation to one another, attempting to speak in the darkness and lessen the distance the darkness seems to impose. What is "forgotten" by the musicians is the outside world; in this piece they exist in a void, and therefore have no one but each other to communicate with -- and they accept their fate and go about the business of communicating in the blackness. This sparse, hunted piece puts an already exceptional set over the top. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    Ping    3:28
2.    The Arrival    4:34
3.    Hula-Hopp    3:21
4.    Distant Smell    5:05
5.    Benafim    1:18
6.    Flying Windows    3:38
7.    Wux    2:47
8.    Pong    3:34
9.    Le Départ    3:39
10.    The Commuter    8:23
11.    African Device    3:18
12.    Long Forgotten Night    10:57
13.    L'Énigmatique    3:58
Credits :
Drums, Percussion, Composed By – Fritz Hauser
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone,Composed By  – Urs Leimgruber

URS LEIMGRUBER — Ungleich (1990) Hat Jazz Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

On the follow up to his amazing Statement of an Antrider, reed genius Urs Leimgruber chooses to record five more solo compositions for tenor, soprano, and "prepared" bass saxophones. Leimgruber is as adventurous as Anthony Braxton is in his exploration of microtonalities on his chosen instruments. He careens through different tones, modalities, nuances, interval; investigations and one would think meditations on sonority in these exercises. And unlike many of his peers who claim to seek the same things, there is order in Leimgruber's world he treats the world of sound as he would any other recognizable system with respect for its natural order and origins. Perhaps this is why he is so effective as an improviser -- his approach to his instrument is to extract from it a response that is congruent to what he put in. Bass god Adelhard Roidinger joins Leimgruber on three selections. Roidinger's a master of his instrumental technique -- whether he is bowing sonances in response to Leimgruber's long, silvery soprano lines, or playing counterpoint to his bass saxophone extrapolations. There are notions of jazz here in both the American and European uses of the word, and certainly the improvisation in play comes from Leimgruber's long involvement with the new music universe that has long struggled to maintain its unique identity. Both of these facets lend to his original voice. Judging by this recording, this is an improviser who can walk the knife's edge of the extreme and the accessible with ease, and it's easy to hear why: There is no academia in Leimgruber's approach. His playing comes from somewhere other than the brain; it comes from the worlds of sound and silence and the heart of the horns themselves. Bravo
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    Egonance A  (10:00)
2.    Not Rueckwaerts    5:39
3.    Ungleichgewicht    10:50
4.    Egonance B    8:37
5.    Entre    5:35
6.    Tenir Tête    8:13
7.    Prélude Pour L.    3:51
8.    Estidian    4:00
Credits :
Bass – Adelhard Roidinger (tracks: 2, 5, 8)
Painting [Cover Painting] – Rolf Winnewisser
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Bass Saxophone [Prepared], Composed By – Urs Leimgruber

URS LEIMGRUBER · ADELHARD ROIDINGER · FRITZ HAUSER — Lines (1994) Hat Jazz Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

From Art Lange's outrageously pretentious liner notes, one might get the impression that this bad-assed trio was trying to re-invent the line and extend it out into the nothingness of the beyond and perhaps beyond that into non-being. I dig Lange, but his liner notes on this set are pure junk. What the word "lines" refers to in the title of this record is simple: This is for these well-known improvisers a quest in playing the line, playing in a linear -- for them anyway -- fashion. The seven selections on this disc, all of which have references to the linguistic construct "line," are formidably constructs in and of themselves. This is some smoking new jazz that features a depth of communication and commitment to energy as they translate in a mostly linear fashion to the transfer of emotion from musician through musical instruments through to the listener. Period. Along the way are some pretty stunning solos and sharp ensemble playing that take the "lines" of melody and make them somewhat angular though never twisting them into something they're not. For instance, check out the call and response between Leimgruber's soprano solo and Roidinger's double bass, one line answered succinctly and precisely with another. And it gets better where spatial dynamics are used to created complex harmonics and polytonal inventions. Here, melody is ever-present -- the touch of "Blue Monk" and "Lonely Woman" in "Shifted" -- and "shifted" into a different melodic reality, one where overtones -- via the bowed bass -- create a drone for melodic improvisation to create a new kind of framework where rhythm and counterpoint all become part of the whole. On "Red," which closes the album, line is played out across rhythmic sections and splays itself over the entire construction of microtonal ambience and rhythmic pulse which is subtly shaded, but constant and, yes, linear. Line is what the best of new jazz is about, taking the bull by the horns and going as deep musically as the particular abilities of the musicians involved will take them. All lines lead to this trio. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    Open    12:42
2.    Shifted    18:51
3.    Off    4:26
4.    Twisted    6:14
5.    Forgotten    6:15
6.    Up    6:56
7.    Red    10:26
Credits :
Composed By – Roidinger, Hauser, Leimgruber
Double Bass – Adelhard Roidinger
Drums, Percussion – Fritz Hauser
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Urs Leimgruber 

URS LEIMGRUBER — Statement Of An Antirider (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The mighty-lunged Urs Leimgruber steps out from his various ensembles on this date to play completely solo with his trio of saxophones -- tenor, soprano, and bass -- and the flute. Like Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell nearly 20 years before him, Leimgruber is after something that does not automatically come with being a "jazz" musician: the exploration in specific environments of the world of sound as it can be encountered by his chosen instruments. European improvisers can come across as too erudite and arrogant to American fans of jazz. That's too bad, because when it comes to extending the reach of particular instruments, methodology, and what free improvisation might mean if made a dominant concern of jazz at this time in history, the Europeans have much to contribute, and a big part of that contribution is made by Leimgruber. These solos are works of revolt, resistance, and great tenderness. Leimgruber embodies Che Guevara's statement that every revolutionary is motivated by great love. His love is the love of sound. With his perfected circular breathing technique -- used by other players such as John Coltrane, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Steve Lacy, among others -- that goes back to the time of the Buddha or even before as a meditation technique, Leimgruber plays meditations (note the pieces "Raga I" & "Raga II") on the nature of vibration, timbre, and color. These 65 minutes are fascinating not only for their academic value, but for their emotional power. Leimgruber is a player who forgoes his more theoretical aspects on paper by going for the throat with his horn -- even when that emotion is controlled as dictated by the texture of sound itself. And while it's true this record has nothing whatsoever to do with jazz, it has everything to do with music, and therefore every free jazz fan should take due note not only of it, but its creator.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1        Raga I    21:19
2        Leonor    17:34
3        Statement Of An Antirider    12:28
4        Raga II    9:50
5        Sefonito    3:36
Credits
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Bass Saxophone, Flute, Composed By – Urs Leimgruber

STEVE LACY & STEVE POTTS — Flim-Flam (1991) Hat Jazz Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    The Crust    6:18
2    Flim-Flam    11:04
3    3 Points    21:04
4    The Whammies!    8:03
5    Rimace Poco    8:39
6    The Gleam    10:51
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Right Channel], Soprano Saxophone [Right Channel] – Steve Potts
Soprano Saxophone [Left Channel], Composed By [All Compositions By] – Steve Lacy

MAARTEN ALTENA OCTECT - Rif (1990) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

When Rif was first issued on LP in 1987, it marked the first of numerous turning points for Dutch composer and bassist Maarten Altena. The ensemble for this date came from vastly different musical worlds such as pop, theater, improvisation, and post-bop jazz, among others. This assemblage, and this term is used in the sense of visual art, was for the express purpose of looking at what could be done within the limits of the octet structure. How big could you make it without overdubbing? How much could you throw at the wall and still make it stick? How many layers could be piled on top of one another before they all collapsed? Altena decided on a set that juxtaposed fixed compositions such as the noir-ish jazz of "Boa," with the minimal melodic framework of "Rondo," which then opened onto a vast improvisational field. Harmonic ranges were articulated on charts and time frames, other than that, only a skeletal, monody (all musicians playing along the same line contributing whatever they feel is necessary) was imposed. Otherwise, there are no rules. Altena also included the compositions of bandmates, pianist Guus Janssen's and violinist Maartje ten Hoorn's in his mix along with the closing piece, "Re-Mix" (nearly a game) by classical composer Steve Maartland for dimension. Musically we cross over all genre lines, so much so that they cease to matter. What is left -- and it is plenty -- is the process of "music-making," the business of how to play together and still be true to the improvisational spirit a piece calls for. For an example of this, note the juxtaposition of the microtonal study of the ballad in "Ruis," and the conjecture that soling instruments need not have structural, timbral, or intervallic priorities in "Rif." The dynamics are radically different in each work as is their approach to restraint, but it is in the freedom of the latter that makes the discipline of the former possible. Tonality and its dissonances are only part and parcel of the individual voices that are "consonant" with one another in both pre-composed and improvised works. That consonance or, unified willingness of purpose, creates the almost limitless possibilities for tonal and harmonic exploration. The elegance and playfulness of Rif is startling, given what Altena had accomplished on his previous recordings. If anything, Rif is what firmly established him not only as a composer but also as a bandleader, as later recordings would attest.  
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Boa 5:57
Written-By – Maarten Altena
2    Rondo 7:09
Written-By – Guus Janssen
3    Ruis 6:44
Written-By – Maarten Altena
4    Rif 11:26
Written-By – Maarten Altena
5    De Yup 5:16
Written-By – Maartje Ten Hoorn
6    Marre 7:36
Written-By – Maarten Altena
7    Dek 3:52
Written-By – Maarten Altena
8    Re-Mix 4:28
Written-By – Steve Martland
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – Michael Moore
Bass – Maarten Altena
Percussion – Michael Vatcher
Piano, Synthesizer – Guus Janssen
Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Peter van Bergen
Trombone – Wolter Wierbos
Trumpet, Horn [Alto] – Marc Charig
Violin – Maartje Ten Hoorn

PAUL BLEY — 12 + (6) In a Row (1991) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Paul Bley's elongated career has seen him careening across the Western musical horizon in so many settings, it's almost impossible to categorize them all. This 1990 date, recorded over two days, features Bley in one of his most playful settings. With collaborators Franz Koglmann and Hans Koch, Bley places himself in three distinct settings to explore, of all things the atonality proposed by Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern early in the 20th century. However, this is hardly a "classical" recording. It comes out of the jazz idiom that so firmly roots Bley; rhythmic intent is inherent in every one of these proceedings. Perhaps this is most evident on the eight solo pieces, which are merely numbered to distinguish them from the duos and trios. On the first, moving out from Monk and Lennie Tristano, Bley feels his way through one of Webern's tone rows in syncopation, swinging it through the middle with a lengthy quote from Albert Ammons. In the fourth trio, free improvisation comes from a serialist tone row and moves through all 12 tones before undoing itself in contrapuntal elegance and modal intervals based upon Scriabin's tone poems. Koglmann's duel with Koch is refreshingly funny here, a cat and mouse game in flats and sharps. In all, this is one of Bley's most curious and intimate works, where his own musical mind is given problems -- presented by serialism and its own undoing -- and his ways of resolving them or casting them out of his vocabulary. Brilliant.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-

ANTHONY BRAXTON & GEORGE LEWIS — Donaueschingen (Duo) 1976 (1994) APE (image+.cue), lossless

A live set featuring duets by trombonist George Lewis and the reeds of Anthony Braxton might seem as if it would be a bit tedious, but the instant communication between the two keep the music continually fascinating. Braxton (who is heard on alto, sopranino, clarinet, contrabass clarinet, flutes, and contrabass saxophone) and Lewis engage in some colorful sound explorations on their compositions on a continuous basis for 41-and-a-half minutes, showing off not only their technique but their very sharp imagination. As an encore they surprised everyone by playing an effective three-and-a-half-minute version of Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee." Listeners with open ears will enjoy this colorful set. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Fred's Garden / Composition 6F    18:53
2    Composition 64 / Duet 1    22:27
3    Donna Lee 3:25
Written-By – Charlie Parker
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Contrabass Saxophone, Clarinet, Clarinet [Soprano], Clarinet [Contrabass], Flute – Anthony Braxton
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 - Town Hall (Trio & Quintet) 1972 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition 6 N Dedicated To Jerome Cooper / Composition 6 (O) Dedicated To Frederic Rzewski    18:18
Written-By – Anthony Braxton
2    All The Things You Are 14:12
Written-By – Jerome Kern
3    Composition 6 P I    13:46
Written-By – Anthony Braxton
4    Composition 6 P II Dedicated To Jeanne Lee    21:25
Written-By – Anthony Braxton
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
Double Bass – Dave Holland
Drums – Phillip Wilson (pistas: 1, 2)
Percussion, Marimba – Barry Altschul (pistas: 3, 4)
Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Contrabass Clarinet [Contrabasse], Soprano Clarinet, Clarinet [B-Flat], Percussion – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 3, 4)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Bass Clarinet, Gong, Percussion – John Stubblefield (pistas: 3, 4)
Voice – Jeanne Lee (pistas: 3, 4)

ANTHONY BRAXTON : Compositions 99, 101, 107 & 139 (1989) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition 101 16:50
Piano [Bösendorfer] – Marianne Schroeder
Soprano Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
2    Composition 139 12:27
Piano [Bösendorfer] – Marianne Schroeder
3    Composition 99 B (+ 97 C, 117 E, 117 H & 118 H) 7:42
Alto Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
Composition 107    (30:51)
4    Section A    4:19
5    Section B    4:57
6    Section C    9:03
7    Section D    7:27
8    Section E    5:05
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone – Anthony Braxton (tracks: 4 to 8)
Artwork – Constant Könz
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Piano – Marianne Schroeder (tracks: 4 to 8)
Trombone – Garrett List (tracks: 4 to 8)

ANTHONY BRAXTON — Piano Music (Notated) 1968-1988 (Hildergard Klebb) 4CD (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1995 and 1996, Swiss pianist Hildegard Kleeb recorded a four-CD set containing nine of Anthony Braxton's notated piano works composed between 1968 and 1988, beginning with the piece that Braxton chose to designate as his first numbered "opus": "Composition No. 1 (1968)." Art Lange's textual commentary describes this thoughtful essay, with its divergent intervals, as a "song." The sonata-like "Composition No. 5 (1968)" might well have been its sequel. "Composition No. 139 (1988)" is a conventionally notated song-like cousin to the earlier works. All three exist within Braxton's designated realm of "frozen improvisation." These exercises in musical intuition appear to reflect the influence of Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, and Karlheinz Stockhausen, even while reflecting Braxton's own developing systems of creativity. "Composition No. 10 (1969)," dedicated to Russian painter and theoretician Wassily Kandinsky, uses a graphic score as a blueprint for improvisation. This means that composer and performer collaborate in ways (and with results) that cannot occur when every single note and dynamic directive are written down. "Composition No. 16 for Four Pianos (1971)" was originally improvised by the composer, and the nature of the graphic/symbolic score allows for maximum freedom of interpretation. Kleeb's overdubbed realization is gradual, employs silence as a structural element, and lasts twice as long as the original. "Composition No. 33 (1974)" introduces a horde of static nebulae. This work places unusual responsibilities upon the interpreter, including phraseology, dynamics, and tempi. Lange compares it with the works of Iannis Xenakis and Morton Feldman. "Composition No. 30 (1973)" is a living embodiment of Arnold Schoenberg's cardinal assignment: to search for the sake of searching. The 82-page score is an expansive and freely formed catalog of ideas and potential actions. "Composition No. 32 (1974)," resulting from a 76-page score, introduces note clusters which are generated with the sustaining pedal held to the floor. Lange rightly compares this piece with works by Cecil Taylor and Olivier Messiaen. The rafts of percussive tonality are similar to those conjured by Braxton himself when he demonstrated a thunderous keyboard technique with his Piano Quartet, recorded live at Yoshi's Nitespot in Oakland, CA in June of 1994. "Composition No. 31 (1974)" comes from an 85-page score dedicated to Iannis Xenakis. Here we encounter the most charming surprise of all, as Braxton is said to have cited Thomas "Fats" Waller as a major early influence -- right up there with Schoenberg and Stockhausen -- as both composer and improviser. Art Lange contributes wonderful insights as he identifies substantial parallels between Waller and Braxton, including "Collage Logic," "Language Forms, and "Shifting Points of Emphasis." Precious evidence that all music is relative; that the imagination is a non-linear, living organism that cannot be confined by critically cramped pigeon-holing, by historical delineation,or by market-based categorization; and that the ritual and spiritual functions, as the composer puts it, are of paramount importance. Composer Anthony Braxton and his interpreter Hildegard Kleeb have given the world nine piano rituals that can and will transform anyone who enters with an open mind. arwulf arwulf  
Piano Music (I)
1-1 No. 1 (1968) 10:09
1-2 No. 5 (1968) 8:07
1-3 No. 10 (1969) 5:59
1-4 No. 16 (1971) 23:49
2-1 No. 33 (1974) 21:17
2-2 No. 30 (1973) 42:23
Piano Music (II)
3-1 No. 139 (1988) 14:39
3-2 No. 32 (1974) 34:56
4-1 No. 31 (1974) Part 1 29:05
4-2 No. 31 (1974) Part 2 23:25
Credits
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Piano – Hildegard Kleeb
Producer – Anthony Braxton, Werner X. Uehlinger

ANTHONY BRAXTON — 2 Compositions (Ensemble) 1989/1991 (1992) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Ensemble Modern Frankfurt–    Composition No. 147 16:46
Bass Clarinet, Saxophone – Wolfgang Stryi
Bassoon – Veit Scholz
Cello – Friedemann Dähn, Michael Stirling
Clarinet – Joachim Klemm, John Corbett, Roland Diry
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Conductor – Diego Masson
Cor Anglais – Achim Reus, Vanessa King
Double Bass – Thomas Fichter
Flute – Anne La Berge, Dietmar Wiesner
Guitar – Klaus Obermaier
Harp – Karin Schmeer
Oboe – Catherine Milliken
Percussion – Rainer Römer, Rumi Ogawa-Helferich
Piano – Hermann Kretzschmar, Ueli Wiget
Producer [Produced By For Hessischer Rundfunk Frankfurt] – Hansalbrecht Stiebler
Sounds – Leslie Stuck
Trombone – Uwe Dierksen
Trumpet – Julian Brewer, Tony Cross
Viola – Almut Steinhausen, Werner Dickel
Violin – Hilary Sturt, Peter Rundel, Sebastian Gottschick, Thomas Hofer
Composition No. 151    
2    Creative Music Ensemble Hamburg–    Part I 24:26
3    Creative Music Ensemble Hamburg–    Part II 31:44
All Credits

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Performance (Quartet) 1979 (2007) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Part I 36:47
2    Part II 34:26
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone [B♭ And E♭], Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Arranged By – Anthony Braxton
Bass – John Lindberg
Percussion, Xylophone, Gong [Gongs] – Thurman Barker
Trombone, Trombone [Alto], Instruments [Little] – Ray Anderson

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Composition 98 (1981-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Composition 98    
Pt. 1 24:23
Pt. 2 24:14
Credits:
Alto Saxophone [Alto Sax], Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Soprano Saxophone [Soprano Sax], Sopranino Saxophone [Sopranino Sax], Saxophone [C Melody Sax], Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Piano – Marilyn Crispell
Trombone, Trombone [Alto Trombone], Trombone [Slide Trombone] – Ray Anderson
Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Piccolo Trumpet – Hugh Ragin

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Wesleyan (12 Altosolos) 1992 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Braxton released a number of solo alto saxophone albums in the wake of his extraordinary For Alto recorded in 1968, all of which are both fascinating documents in their own right as well as glimpses into the mechanisms which underlie his music. This live set from Wesleyan University in 1992 is no exception. One evolutionary difference here is that around this time Braxton began incorporating into his solo concerts a strategy he had developed during the '80s for his quartet: collage procedures. This means that, while initially playing one composition, he allowed himself the option of interpolating others as he saw fit, making for an even wider array of "sound spaces" available for exploration. Indeed, the range he covers is amazing. The disc opens with one of the emotive, touching ballads that he has written and performed since his earliest recordings but which tend to be all too easily forgotten which critics refer to him as cold or calculating. There follow works dealing with rough and fast licks, drastic intervallic leaps, repetitive structures, trills, and many, many other aspects of the horn. All are investigated with a passion and intelligence rare in contemporary music. As is his wont, Braxton includes several standards: "Charlie's Wig," a little known Charlie Parker composition; "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"; and "Just Friends," a piece often played by Warne Marsh, one of Braxton's idols on the saxophone and one of his true spiritual ancestors. Not only are these songs given sympathetic readings, but they're also treated as fertile ground for probing discovery in ways their composers never imagined but, one thinks, would be proud of. Wesleyan (12 Altosolos) 1992 fits quite comfortably into the extraordinary series of recordings of this artist which continued to unearth entirely new and wonderfully creative "language music" for the alto saxophone. Brian Olewnick  
Tracklist :
1    No 170i    4:50
2    No 106d (+170b)    6:06
3    No 170a    3:23
4    Charlie's Wig 6:54
Written-By – Charlie Parker
5    No 170c (+77d + 99f)    6:04
6    No 170f (+138c + 106g + 119d + 99d + 119f)    8:28
7    I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You 5:00
Written-By – George Bassman, Ned Washington
8    No 170g    6:59
9    No 106j (+ 106m)    4:08
10    No 170h    5:28
11    Just Friends 6:57
Written-By – John Klenner, Samuel M. Lewis
12    No 118f    7:26
Credits:
Alto Saxophone, Producer, Written-By – Anthony Braxton

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions 1989 For Warne Marsh (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Two Not One    7:14
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
2    317 E 32nd Street    8:14
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
3    Dreams    5:41
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
4    Lennies Pennies    9:20
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
5    How Deep Is The Ocean 4:42
Composed By – Irving Berlin
6    Victory Ball    4:45
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
7    Sax Of A Kind 4:05
Composed By – Warne Marsh
8    Lennie Bird    6:25
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
9    Time On My Hands 4:50
Composed By – Vincent Youmans
10    Victory Ball (Take 2)    5:07
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
11    Baby    5:10
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
12    April    9:26
Composed By – Lennie Tristano
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Flute, Arranged By [All Arrangements By] – Anthony Braxton
Baritone Saxophone – John Raskin
Bass – Cecil McBee
Drums – Andrew Cyrille
Piano – Dred Scott

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Quartet (Santa Cruz) 1993 (1997) 2CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

In the waning days of the 1993 tour, and the soon after disbanding of his finest -- and longest standing -- band, this single concert of the seven nights played at Santa Cruz. This double CD documents with a finality just what the quartet had achieved in its eight years together. Braxton had realized within this group of musicians a goal he had previously thought unattainable: the ability to interchange any composition from any of his periods with any other -- and within each other -- in a small group setting. And given the far-reaching musical tenets each of these "sets of compositions" notated by tracks are, that is no mean feat. The first set takes the now legendary "159" and adds to it the rhythm section improvisation from "30," and the piano saxophone duet from "108a." Braxton and Crispell herald in "150," trading phrases and polytones as Dresser and Hemingway shift around trying to locate the two soloists in the framework they are playing. When they are heard and are given free passage into "30," they alight before moving each other into a counterpoint system that begs the re-entrance of Braxton and Crispell, who slip through the knots, "make it jazz," and hand it back through "108a" before Hemingway and Dresser take it out. And this goes like this throughout. Even where Braxton's designs are carried out within one composition, such as on "69f" or "161" or "172," where the new "Ghost Trances" -- pursued by a sextet after this group split -- period begins, the fluidity and harmonic languages created within the context of four musicians speaking through one another is ever present. For those who don't find Mr. Braxton's music "jazz" enough, or make it "too cerebral" in theory, the fact of the matter is, you're not listening. Find your way through Crispell's interaction with Dresser on "161" or Hemingway's with Braxton's flute on "40 (o)," and you will hear, in keeping with both the linear nature of jazz since the '60s and its more design-oriented functionality since the '80s -- which Braxton ushered in almost single-handedly for other improvisers -- the abstractions are obscured by the lyrical interplay coming from the bandstand. This is music projected from inside out toward an audience that doesn't have to think so much as emote what they hear. Braxton's systems are large and varied; the sheer psychic and physical energy the band has to endure in order to play this music is almost unimaginable. To listen and think this quickly is not mere communication -- it is telepathy. This is the quartet's farewell, and it is more than fitting; it's astonishing what they achieved in eight years. On the second CD's closer, "124+108c+147," you hear Crispell slinking through Hemingway's rimshots on "124" to solo with him as Braxton repeats a phrase that Dresser harmonically echoes in a trancelike fashion before exploding into "108c," where Braxton takes the lead and Crispell is shouting out long lines and tonal clusters to Hemingway like she's another drummer. Dresser takes these fragments and creates a series of chords for Braxton to improvise on the soprano before heading wildly into "147," one of this band's signature pieces. Here, all four members are given the opportunity to take the theme and deconstruct any or all of its parts within the safety of Braxton's harmonic system of improvisational intervals. That they all come near to each other before stopping on a dime should be no surprise -- though it does leave one breathless -- given the preceding wonder of the entire set. What a fitting finish for a truly legendary band.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1-1    Comp. 159 + (30 + 108a) / Comp. 40(o) / Comp. 69f / Comp. 173 / Comp. 69(o) / Comp. 52    1:16:06
2-1    Comp. 172 / Comp. 161 / Comp. 69m / Comp. 23c / Comp. 124 + (108c + 147)
Credits :
Bass – Mark Dresser
Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Percussion, Marimba – Gerry Hemingway
Piano – Marilyn Crispell

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Willisau (Quartet) 1991 (1992) 4CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This mammoth document of the final year of the famous Anthony Braxton Quartet shows exactly why that group finally split: They had reached a creative apex as a group that -- arguably -- could not be furthered. The music on this collection features two live CDs and two studio CDs, and gives a completely different picture of the same band who recorded for Black Saint on the Six Compositions (Quartet) 1984 record.

The concert reveals the quartet able to execute any notion from Braxton's theoretical yet soulful music, almost instinctually. As the compositions get stacked up, such as "No. 67+147+96," it means that some element of each of those compositions enters into the playing of this piece, whether it be in Marilyn Crispell's piano solo or line, Mark Dresser's bassline or changes, or a particular shift in rhythm from drummer Gerry Hemingway. The empathy of the players saturates Braxton's music, and he appears, giant that he is, not so much as a soloist on his many saxophones and clarinets, but as another player in a band that spoke with multi-lingual possibilities, but with one voice. The interplay between Braxton and Crispell has reached a point in their relationship where, technically speaking, he is well aware that she is his equal as a technician of the sacred that is sound. His solos on "No. 34A," "No. 23G (+147+30)," and "107B (+96)" are evidence. Crispell's momentum to strike at the space inside the group improvisation is also to turn it ever inward to focus on how these micro and polytonal shifts, when combined with the overdriven yet ultimately sympathetic washes of percussion from Hemingway and Dresser's constant pulse as it sifts through changes, are, in effect, realizing the chameleon-like place of harmony better than Braxton himself could ever articulate. This group is all lightning and fire; there is no hesitation, nor is there any room for it. They challenge each other and their leader to the breaking point, and somehow ride the wave into yet another new territory, where the process begins again. The studio discs in this collection show another side of the band. Here, dynamic and harmonic possibility are the concern of Braxton -- each note is played, at least in the opening lines, and is carefully nuanced as if it were finding its own place in space. There is a freedom for the composer to seek out color and dexterity, texture and surface, as the band is all about making it anyway. They know what's needed in a composition such as "No. 160 (+5) 40J," where Crispell adds a piano solo that quotes the harmonic structure of "No. 5," and, along with Dresser, flows through his gorgeous bowed cello solo from "No. 40J" through the middle section, where Braxton and Crispell bring the proceedings back. In each new Braxton composition, the players are welcome to quote from earlier material in the catalog, find the interval it best fits, and explore it in this new context, thereby making a rich intertextuality whereby the current composition is extended dynamically and musically. Also on this studio session, which was recorded over two days, Braxton himself is looser, picking compositions that seldom are touched live in order to be finessed in the studio -- usually it's the other way around, but his exploration of shape, polytonality, and rhythmic architecture is relentless. Listen to "No. 67" (dedicated to the actress Bette Davis) to hear one of Braxton's "sound environment spirals." Here, material -- created by all four members of the quartet and variants thereof -- explore repetition as a "physical" material and a vibrational factor in the creation of further sonorous material. First they play repeated phrases until near exhaustion sets in (Philip Glass has nothing on this band), and then are offered numerous options for changing tempo and shape (Hemingway has a real party with this, trying to dodge his bandmates, but never quite succeeding). The result? What does it mean? Simple: No person can play the same phrase over and over and the same way without that eventual variation. Eventually, variation becomes the sole M.O., and each player drifts further apart from the rest until they become unstuck completely. Once in free space, the swirling flutes, cascading piano lines, and dense thick intervallic chords humming bass harmonics, as well as flutes, call the entire thing further out on a star until Braxton re-enters with the alto to call the exploration to order. He locks horns with Crispell, and then launches into "No. 140 (+147+139+135)." And so it goes. Braxton's quartet was easily the most creative band he played with, and his longest running. Since that time, in duet and solo performance, he has found the fire he needs to continue exploring the musical ground his mind conjures up on composition paper. But he has been lost in band settings. Since 1994 he has not found a group that has, member for member, this much musical talent or empathetic dexterity. With this band, he never had to assert himself as a leader because they could instinctively follow his cues. Since that time, he has had to assert himself more and more. And while the music he's writing has every bit of the wonder, awe, and irritation of his earlier work, it has never been played with this virtuosity. This set is a worthy companion to the Leo Records "Coventry Concerts" series. What a swan song.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Studio (June 4 & 5, 1991)    
1-1    No. 160 (+ 5) + 40J    11:26
1-2    No. 23M (+ 10)    15:03
1-3    No. 158 (+ 96) + 40L    17:04
1-4    No. 40A    8:24
1-5    No. 40B    12:13
2-1    No. 161    5:55
2-2    No. 159    12:47
2-3    No. 23C + 32 + 105B (+ 30)    23:48
2-4    No. 23M (+ 10)    10:28
2-5    No. 40M    12:03Concert Live (June 2, 1991) - No. 67 (+ 147 + 96) / No. 140 (+ 147 + 139 + 135) / No. 34A / No. 20 + 86 / No. 23G (+ 147 + 30)    
3-1a    Untitled    13:22
3-1b    Untitled    16:03
3-1c    Untitled    17:28
3-1d    Untitled    13:29
3-1e    Untitled    11:35

Concert Live (June 2, 1991) - No. 69 (O) + 135 / No. 69B / No. 107B (+ 96) / No. 101 / No. 23N (+ 112 + 108A + 33)    
4-1a    Untitled    17:23
4-1b    Untitled    17:04
4-1c    Untitled    9:10
4-1d    Untitled    13:46
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Flute, Sopranino Saxophone, Composed By – Anthony Braxton
Artwork [Cover Art] – Niklaus Troxler
Bass – Mark Dresser
Drums, Marimba – Gerry Hemingway
Piano – Marilyn Crispell

JOHN ZORN | GEORGE LEWIS | BILL FRISELL — News for Lulu (1988-1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Avant-garde altoist John Zorn teams up with trombonist George Lewis and guitarist Bill Frisell to form a unique trio. Without the benefit of piano, bass, or drums, they interpret the hard bop compositions of Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Sonny Clark, and Freddie Redd, generally not even the better-known ones. The performances are quite concise (Dorham's "Windmill" is covered in 40 seconds), respectful to the melodies, and unpredictable. There are hints of the avant-garde here and there, but also plenty of swinging, bop-oriented solos and coherent ensembles. Very intriguing music that is highly recommended to a wide audience of jazz and general listeners. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     K.D.'s Motion 3'32
Kenny Dorham
2     Funk in Deep Freeze 4'31
Hank Mobley
3     Melanie 4'07
Freddie Redd
4     Melody for C 4'26
Sonny Clark
5     Lotus Blossom 4'08
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
6     Eastern Incident 4'04
Sonny Clark
7     Peckin' Time 3'13
Hank Mobley
8     Blues, Blues, Blues 4'17
Freddie Redd
9     Blue Minor I 3'43
Sonny Clark
10     This I Dig of You 3'13
Hank Mobley
11     Venita's Dance 3'23
Kenny Dorham
12     News for Lulu 4'07
Sonny Clark
13     Olé 3'47
Freddie Redd
14     Sonny's Crib 5'22
Sonny Clark
15     Hank's Other Tune 3'52
Hank Mobley
16     Blue Minor II 3'26
Sonny Clark
17     Windmill 0'40
Kenny Dorham
18     News for Lulu 4'19
Sonny Clark
19     Funk in Deep Freeze 3'29
Hank Mobley
20     Windmill 1'03
Kenny Dorham
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Liner Notes – John Zorn
Arranged By – Frisell, Lewis, Zorn
Guitar – Bill Frisell
Trombone – George Lewis