Anthony Braxton: For Alto

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…

Performance (Quartet) 1979 is a live album by American composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton recorded in Switzerland in 1979 and released on the hatART label. The album has also been issued as Performance 9/1/79 and Performance for Quartet.

Anthony Braxton’s new recording Duo (Improv) 2017 to be released on his 75th birthday June 4th.

The band Anthony Braxton assembled for this unique exploration of the compositions of Thelonious Monk is one of the wonders of the composer's retinue. Braxton, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Buell Neidlinger, and drummer Bill Osborne use six Monk tunes and go hunting for harmonic invention; in order, they are "Brilliant Corners," "Reflections," "Played Twice," "Four in One," "Ask Me Now," and "Skippy." From the jump, the listener can tell this is no ordinary Monk tribute. The music is fast, skittering along at a dervish's pace on "Brilliant Corners," and Braxton's horn - an alto on this album - moves right for that street where interval meets modulation and sticks his solo in the center, careening over the arrangement - which is what the tune is in essence, an arrangement rather than a "song"…

Anthony Braxton (who on this set plays alto, soprano, C-melody sax, clarinet, and flute) met up with his longtime pianist Marilyn Crispell for the first time on this Black Saint release. With bassist John Lindberg and drummer Gerry Hemingway forming what would be (with Mark Dresser in Lindberg's place) a regular group for nearly a decade, his quartet was off to a strong start. Braxton seems quite comfortable playing this complex music, and his diagrams (which serve as song titles) are actually fairly humorous.

Composition 113 is an early recorded example of Braxton's "ritual" music; a dramatic, storytelling piece that, when performed live, involved specific staging instructions and visual accompaniment. The album is in six sections, representing six characters, each with a certain sound strategy/character tendency: humor, acceptance, strength, dependability, courage, and belief. As much as this information may provide an interesting background to the work, one listening to the record is left simply with six stunning solo performances by Braxton on soprano saxophone. While he has recorded numerous solo excursions on alto, this is the only time he devoted an entire release to solo soprano and one could only wish for more…

Anthony Braxton - The Complete Arista Recordings Of Anthony Braxton (2008) {8CD Set Mosaic MD8-242}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.46 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.29 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 376 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 2008 Mosaic Records / Arista / Sony BMG | MD8-242
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Creative Orchestra / Experimental Big Band

Since he released the completely solo For Alto in 1968, the accepted image of Anthony Braxton has been that he is more a theoretician and art music composer than a jazz musician. Therefore, it might seem strange that Mosaic Records is giving his Complete Arista Recordings one of their fabled box set treatments. But Braxton is both – and much more. This set – as well as the original Arista recordings – were produced by Michael Cuscuna, Mosaic/Blue Note label head. The sheer scope of these recordings is staggering. What we get in this amazingly detailed collection is the weightiest argument yet for Braxton's range and depth of field as a musical thinker and his role as a pillar of modern jazz.

Max Roach & Anthony Braxton - Birth And Rebirth (1978) {Black Saint BSR 0024 CD}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 290 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 103 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 9 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1978 Black Saint | BSR 0024 CD
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone / Drums

The first of drummer Max Roach's two duet sets with multireedist Anthony Braxton consists of seven fairly free improvisations that they created in the studio. Each of the selections (particularly "Birth" which builds gradually in intensity to a ferocious level, the waltz time of "Magic and Music," the atmospheric "Tropical Forest" and "Softshoe") have their own plot and purpose. Braxton (who performs on alto, soprano, sopranino and clarinet) and Roach continually inspire each other, which is probably why they would record a second set the following year. Stimulating avant-garde music.

Max Roach & Anthony Braxton - One in Two, Two in One (1979) {hat ART CD 6030 rel 1989}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 409 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 180 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 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 & Jacqueline Kerrod - Duo (Bologna) 2018 (2020) {I dischi di angelica}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Digital Download -> 292 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 142 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2020 i dischi di angelica | IDA039
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Contemporary Classical / Improvised Music / Saxophone / Harp

Anthony Braxton, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and a true giant of creative music, in 50 years of career had never played in a duo with a harp; and that's exactly what happened at the AngelicA Festival in 2018. Expressing himself through a wide range of mediums, from solos to large orchestras to multimedia projects, and drawing inspiration from a wide range of influences, from John Coltrane to Karlheinz Stockhausen, Anthony Braxton has created a unique music system which celebrates the concept of global creativity and shared humanity. Harpist Jacqueline Kerrod, of South-African origins, has performed as part of prestigious classic-contemporary line-ups such as Modern Ensemble and Talea Ensemble.