Anthony Braxton

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."

Max Roach & Anthony Braxton - One in Two, Two in One (1979) {hat ART CD 6030 rel 1989}
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© 1979, 1989 Hat Hut Records | hat ART CD 6030
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone / Drums

The second of two duet albums by drummer Max Roach and multi-reedist Anthony Braxton was recorded live and released on this two-LP set; this is the more interesting of the two projects since it is a nearly 78-minute continual improvisation. Braxton gets to stretch out on alto, soprano, sopranino, contra bass clarinet (which really gets a monstrous sound), clarinet, and flute. With Roach pushing Braxton, the results are quite adventurous, yet full of joy. Followers of avant-garde jazz can consider this set to be essential.

Anthony Braxton - 20 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (2005) {4CD Set, Leo Records ‎CD LR 431/434}
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© 2005 Leo Records ‎| CD LR 431/434
Jazz / Modern Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

Released a year after 23 Standards (Quartet) 2003, this second four-disc set doubles the amount of material released from Braxton's tours of Europe in early and late 2003, with the same lineup (Braxton on saxes, Kevin O'Neil on guitar, bassist Andy Eulau, and drummer Kevin Norton), same focus on jazz standards, and even the same dates in some cases. Together, the two four-CD sets released by Leo Records present recordings from ten different European dates (two in February 2003 and eight in November of that year). This second set continues with the editorial approach used in the first one: each disc consists of tracks from different concerts, brought together to make a balanced record.