Anthony Braxton

[Morgan Childs]

I've recently become interested in the work of saxophonist/composer/bandleader/thinker Anthony Braxton. I just read a facinating book by Graham Lock called "Forces In Motion", which was reccomended to me by Dave Douglas. It is a deatailed study of Braxton, with biographical info, tonnes of interviews, and some detailed insight into his mystical/trans-african functionalism/affinity insights, and his graphic notation systems. If you don't know what that means, you're not alone, I'm STILL not quite sure, and I read the book. Hahahaha...

Anyway, I've managed to find ONE recording by Braxton, his first as a leader... "3 compositions". But I can't seem to track any others down. He's not very widely carried. Can anyone reccomend any Circle albums? Any of Braxton's own? Any more info would be appreciated, as I find this man and his work completely engrossing and totally facinating... Anyone every work with him/see him live? My dad saw him do a solo concert in 1979 and said it was amazing, but didn't remember much more.

[Coat Cooke]

Check out Anthony Braxton on the Google
server. Lots of leads on him there.l

[Bill Metcalfe]

Yes, Braxton is a riveting solo performer. My introduction to him was a live performance at the Western Front in the 70's, and it was very memorable.

His album entitled For Alto, recently re-released on Delmark, is a solo alto saxophone performance from that era. I highly recommend it.

[zula]

Pretty well anything with folks like Marilyn Crispell, George Lewis, Gerry Hemingway. Black Swan should have lots or can order for you.

Brian may have been the last presenter to bring him to Vancouver. Has he been here since the 70's?

[Brian Nation]

Brian may have been the last presenter to bring him to Vancouver. Has he been here since the 70's? I presented Braxton's first Vancouver appearance. Solo concert, Nov 1975. He was back with his quartet the following year, at Oil Can Harry's (See Bill Metcalfe's post (http://vancouverjazz.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=365&highlight=braxton).) I believe Coastal has had him here since, with Marilyn Crispell. Or did I dream that?

When Braxton was at Oil Can's I had Steve Lacy at the Western Front. I remember heading over to see Braxton with Lacy after Lacy's gig. Those were the seventies, man!

Another sidelight: One night at Oil Can's, Gavin Walker sat in with Braxton for a tune. Can you picture that?

[zula]

Un-fucking-believable, what you pulled off. You brought the cream of the cream.

What kind of response did you get for Braxton then? It was probably tougher to be a presenter in many ways, no?

I've been thinking about presenting him (& Ornette & Cecil)...why not?

[Brian Nation]

I think in many ways it was a lot easier then. US dollars were cheaper, everything was cheaper, fans seemed to be more enthusiastic and supportive, the border wasn't such a pain in the ass, plus other factors I'll remember later, when I'm asleep.

The Braxton solo concert sold out. It's the only concert I ever made money on. 35 bucks I think. (You could buy a house for 35 bucks in the seventies!)I've been thinking about presenting him (& Ornette & Cecil)...why not?Do it!

[zula]

Sorry to go on off topic here, but the reason I'd think it would've been tougher then is because people now seem to be musically more omnivorous with music being much more readily available and all...

But I guess, there was probably more of a sense of community and people socially, culturally, politically understood and were more into the idea of exposing themselves to music with balls ( as well as heart & mind).

It either moves you or it doesn't. Enough speculating... more doing's in order!

[Bill Metcalfe]

Brian didn't dream it. Braxton was at the Jazz Festival around 1990 in one of those free Plaza of Nations venues. He did a solo alto saxophone concert and I think he also played with someone else as well, maybe Marilyn Crispell.

More about the 1975 Western Front concert. In my earlier post I called it "memorable" which is a lame understatement because actually it was one of those concerts where I left with more energy than I went in with-- always my physical indication of a truly inspiring concert. So thanks Brian, 28 years later.

One memory from that night: at one point in the middle of one of Braxton's pieces someone in the audience laughed quite loudly, I think at something he thought was funny in the music. Braxton stopped playing, looked right at the guy, apparently a bit irritated, and said, "OK, I'll start again." (That may have been the only thing he said to us all evening.) And then he played the piece again from the beginning, virually identical to the first time.

[John Doheny]

Zula,

I think maybe what you mean my "musically omnivorous" is maybe that people are exposed to more music now and are therefore more open?

This may be true. I'm not sure. But I also have a feeling that because music is so readily available ( it gushes out of your computer on demand etc.) that it's very ubiquitousness makes people value it less .

Also , I think it's important to distiguish between live (real) music and canned(artificial) music which is a poor substitute for the real thing. There is much,much more readily available canned music than ever before. But freshly picked, organic, live music has almost totally disappeared from the earth.

[zula]

Originally posted by Bill Metcalfe
Brian didn't dream it. Braxton was at the Jazz Festival around 1990 in one of those free Plaza of Nations venues. He did a solo alto saxophone concert and I think he also played with someone else as well, maybe Marilyn Crispell.

More about the 1975 Western Front concert. In my earlier post I called it "memorable" which is a lame understatement because actually it was one of those concerts where I left with more energy than I went in with-- always my physical indication of a truly inspiring concert. So thanks Brian, 28 years later.


Bill,
Can't sleep... looked at my earliest jazzfest calender (92). No Braxton. Must've been 91 or before.

Should always leave a concert changed somehow. I agree.

Thanks much for the tidbits. Fire needs to be stoked...