Anthony Braxton

[GregK]

New ! Art Ensemble of Chicago / Anthony Braxton

TOUR FOR 40' BIRTHDAY OF AEC & TRIBUTE TO LESTER BOWIE

From May 15th to June 4th, and July 2007 in Europe

Roscoe Mitchell saxes

Anthony Braxton saxes, clarinet

Wanada Leo Smith trompet

George Lewis, trombone, saxophone

Muhal Richard Abrams piano

Jaribu Shahid acoustic bass

Famoudou Don Moye drums, perc

May 25, 2007 Schiltigheim/ France Le Cheval Blanc

So no Jarman? Who do I start pestering with emails for a live disc of this tour?

[Alexander Hawkins]

I don't want to speak out of turn about Jarman's current 'powers' - I've only seen him the once, around 9-10 months ago - so I've got little to go on. But, someone said (maybe even here) that he's relatively frail these days.

When I saw him, he was very convincing musically, but he was battling physically with his tenor. His percussion was very musical, and he played some beautiful alto flute and melodica, but his tenor was very weak. [How hard on him anyway to have to follow the intensity of his peak!]. This may well have been hard for him, especially given that Mitchell was on absolutely incendiary form, and showed no signs of being anything other than completely on top of his game.

Don't know how, if at all, that bears on this, however!

[sal]

I don't want to speak out of turn about Jarman's current 'powers' - I've only seen him the once, around 9-10 months ago - so I've got little to go on. But, someone said (maybe even here) that he's relatively frail these days.

When I saw him, he was very convincing musically, but he was battling physically with his tenor. His percussion was very musical, and he played some beautiful alto flute and melodica, but his tenor was very weak. [How hard on him anyway to have to follow the intensity of his peak!]. This may well have been hard for him, especially given that Mitchell was on absolutely incendiary form, and showed no signs of being anything other than completely on top of his game.

Don't know how, if at all, that bears on this, however!

I noticed this too. His flute playing was fantastic, but the rest wasn't quite coming together.

Roscoe still plays on a level untouched by anyone around today.

[sal]

New ! Art Ensemble of Chicago / Anthony Braxton

TOUR FOR 40' BIRTHDAY OF AEC & TRIBUTE TO LESTER BOWIE

From May 15th to June 4th, and July 2007 in Europe

Roscoe Mitchell saxes

Anthony Braxton saxes, clarinet

Wanada Leo Smith trompet

George Lewis, trombone, saxophone

Muhal Richard Abrams piano

Jaribu Shahid acoustic bass

Famoudou Don Moye drums, perc

May 25, 2007 Schiltigheim/ France Le Cheval Blanc

Oh my.....I don't even know what to say. Could there be a better concert than this?

In the late '60s there were concerts like this all the time (minus young George).

That must have been amazing. To witness the AACM making all those artistic breakthroughs at the peak of their powers....wow. Just thinking about that gives me goosebumps.

[Д.Д.]

As a younger member of the BB who wasn't around to catch many of the masters in their heydays, this is an amazing prospect: a supergroup of 1) compatible (and how!) musicians who 2) are all on top of their games.

What I wouldn't give for a live record as well...

"On top of their game" is a very generous overstatement (at least as far as Mitchell, Braxton and Smith are concerned), IMO. I will try to catch them live, of course, but my expectations are not too high. Edited January 19, 2007 by Д.Д.

[Chuck Nessa]

As a younger member of the BB who wasn't around to catch many of the masters in their heydays, this is an amazing prospect: a supergroup of 1) compatible (and how!) musicians who 2) are all on top of their games.

What I wouldn't give for a live record as well...

"On top of their game" is a very generous overstatement (at least as far as Mitchell, Braxton and Smith are concerned), IMO. I will try to catch them live, of course, but my expectations are not too high.

Your smug attitude is sad.

Please demonstrate the "degradation" of these musicians and explain your "expertise". Don't bother going to the gigs.

Please detail your reasons for dismissing their current work.

[alocispepraluger102]

As a younger member of the BB who wasn't around to catch many of the masters in their heydays, this is an amazing prospect: a supergroup of 1) compatible (and how!) musicians who 2) are all on top of their games.

What I wouldn't give for a live record as well...

"On top of their game" is a very generous overstatement (at least as far as Mitchell, Braxton and Smith are concerned), IMO. I will try to catch them live, of course, but my expectations are not too high.

Your smug attitude is sad.

Please demonstrate the "degradation" of these musicians and explain your "expertise". Don't bother going to the gigs.

Please detail your reasons for dismissing their current work.

Amen!

[Varese]

New ! Art Ensemble of Chicago / Anthony Braxton

TOUR FOR 40' BIRTHDAY OF AEC & TRIBUTE TO LESTER BOWIE

From May 15th to June 4th, and July 2007 in Europe

Roscoe Mitchell saxes

Anthony Braxton saxes, clarinet

Wanada Leo Smith trompet

George Lewis, trombone, saxophone

Muhal Richard Abrams piano

Jaribu Shahid acoustic bass

Famoudou Don Moye drums, perc

May 25, 2007 Schiltigheim/ France Le Cheval Blanc

Does anybody know the exact dates/venues for this? Obviously very interested in such a historic concert.

[juergen]

it´s too early, but ask here: http://www.jfdproductions.fr/

[Д.Д.]

As a younger member of the BB who wasn't around to catch many of the masters in their heydays, this is an amazing prospect: a supergroup of 1) compatible (and how!) musicians who 2) are all on top of their games.

What I wouldn't give for a live record as well...

"On top of their game" is a very generous overstatement (at least as far as Mitchell, Braxton and Smith are concerned), IMO. I will try to catch them live, of course, but my expectations are not too high.

Your smug attitude is sad.

Please demonstrate the "degradation" of these musicians and explain your "expertise". Don't bother going to the gigs.

Please detail your reasons for dismissing their current work.

Chuck, my attitude is based on seeing all these musicians live in the last few years and hearing quite a bit of their work - both early and recent. My expertise is my ears only. I will elaborate some time later.

I would be interested in hearing your recommendaitons for good records of/with Mitchell, Braxton or Smith recorded since, say, 2000. "Good" like in "on top of their games". I would be most happy to discover that I missed some of the masterpieces.

I'll still go to the concerts, if you don't mind.

Edited January 20, 2007 by Д.Д.

[Larry Kart]

I would be interested in hearing your recommendaitons for good records of/with Mitchell, Braxton or Smith recorded since, say, 2000. "Good" like in "on top of their games". I would be most happy to discover that I missed some of the masterpieces.

Leaving it at Mitchell for the moment, I'd say that both "Solo 3" (Mutable) and "The Bad Guys" (Around Jazz) -- with Smith as a sideman -- are top notch, and "Song For My Sister" (PI) isn't far behind. I've also heard Mitchell live on more than a few occasions since 2000 and have always been impressed, to say the least.

[brownie]

Does anybody know the exact dates/venues for this? Obviously very interested in such a historic concert.

Schiltigheim is a small city just north of Strasbourg, close to the German border.

You can book seats for the concert here!

[Peter]

I like the classic quartet stuff w/ Marilyn Crispell, Mark Dresser & Gerry Hemingway. There's 3 2 disc sets on Leo from a 1985 tour of Britian. Called Birmingham, Coventry & London I believe. All 3 highly recommended.

In college I worked with a student organization that booked him for a performance. Duo with a female pianist whose name I can't recall. Would have been Winter or Spring of 1981. My 1st exposure to Braxton & at that time I could not relate. Didn't get into his music till 10+ years later. Anyway, Braxton forgot his wallet & one my buddies lent $10 for food.

Edited February 3, 2007 by Peter

[clifford_thornton]

Anyway, Braxton forgot his wallet & one my buddies lent $10 for food.

Lent?!? Braxton can HAVE my $10 bill any time!

[GregK]

the 10-disc (9 CDs, one DVD) box of Braxton 12-tet at the Iridium is up for pre-order at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Compositions-Iridium...TF8&s=music

It will also be available, cheaper, from the label's website, http://www.firehouse12.com. This is all Ghost Trance Music, I assume.

[B. Clugston]

the 10-disc (9 CDs, one DVD) box of Braxton 12-tet at the Iridium is up for pre-order at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Compositions-Iridium...TF8&s=music

It will also be available, cheaper, from the label's website, http://www.firehouse12.com. This is all Ghost Trance Music, I assume.

"Accelerator Whip Ghost Trance Music," to be exact. Compositions 350-358.

[Alexander Hawkins]

the 10-disc (9 CDs, one DVD) box of Braxton 12-tet at the Iridium is up for pre-order at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Compositions-Iridium...TF8&s=music

It will also be available, cheaper, from the label's website, http://www.firehouse12.com. This is all Ghost Trance Music, I assume.

"Accelerator Whip Ghost Trance Music," to be exact. Compositions 350-358.

...and to be picky, it's the 12+1tet, FWIW! Great band - Taylor Ho Bynum, Nicole Mitchell, James Fei, etc. etc. etc. I think I mentioned in another thread, but I've been lucky enough to hear/see a bit of the material, and it's really fantastic. I really hope people who were put off GTM by its earlier (more austere sounding?) incarnations don't shy away from this. And Braxton blows some incredible stuff as well.

[GregK]

the 10-disc (9 CDs, one DVD) box of Braxton 12-tet at the Iridium is up for pre-order at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Compositions-Iridium...TF8&s=music

It will also be available, cheaper, from the label's website, http://www.firehouse12.com. This is all Ghost Trance Music, I assume.

"Accelerator Whip Ghost Trance Music," to be exact. Compositions 350-358.

...and to be picky, it's the 12+1tet, FWIW! Great band - Taylor Ho Bynum, Nicole Mitchell, James Fei, etc. etc. etc. I think I mentioned in another thread, but I've been lucky enough to hear/see a bit of the material, and it's really fantastic. I really hope people who were put off GTM by its earlier (more austere sounding?) incarnations don't shy away from this. And Braxton blows some incredible stuff as well.

I will be getting this one. It's going to be about $112 or so from Firehouse 12

[Chalupa]

I got this in an email this morning....

Anthony Braxton lunch on March 31, 2007, at noon, at BenAsh Deli on

7th Avenue and 55th Street.

by Don Phipps

The following details the "no holds barred" discussion about music,

culture, and events with Anthony Braxton on March 31, 2007 at a

luncheon held in his honor by members of the Anthony Braxton Yahoo

User Group at BenAsh Deli on 7th Avenue and 55th Street, New York

City. The event was affiliated with Anthony's performance at the

Iridium night club in the Times Square area of New York.

In attendance were several members of the Anthony Braxton Yahoo User

Group, including Jonathan Piper, Jason Guthartz, John Sharpe, and

Timo Hoyer. He began by expressing his gratitude towards the many

people on our group that are interested in and follow his music.

As he discussed his music, his past, his thoughts on contemporary

culture, and his plans for the future, Anthony spoke with grace and

humility, especially given his stature as a musical genius. The

group peppered him with a number of questions which he patiently

answered, and were rewarded by a revelation of his future work, an

interactive bringing together of multiple art disciplines, the Echo

Echo Mirror House music and the reasons for it (discussed below).

He responded to a question about his upcoming concerts with Cecil

Taylor by saying he is playing three concerts (these have still NOT

been confirmed) with Cecil, two in Bologna, Italy (October 11 and

13) - a duo and a quartet (Tony Oxley will be the drummer but he

could not say with certainty who the bass player would be), and a

single concert in London on July 8 - a quartet (Tony Oxley again the

drummer, bass player yet to be determined). He also said that he and

Cecil had never played together, even though they hung out together

at Antioch College during the 70s.

He spoke of his personal history. For example, in 1970, he said he

left Chicago for New York, driving to the Big Apple with a small

group of musicians, which included Amina Claudine Meyers, Ajaramu,

and Billy Hart. When he arrived in New York, he said he stayed with

Leroy Jenkins as he had only $50 in his pocket.

He told the group that his influences included Stockhausen, of which

he said, "even the pieces I don't like, I love!" He said he was

overjoyed and insanely jealous to find that a friend had the complete

recorded works of Stockhausen. He said Stockhausen will someday be

honored in the same way many honor Wagner. He gushed about Wagner,

who he said was "more significant than purely intellectual

modeling." Wagner, he said, was "holistic," and Wagner's

music "helped us to understand the music of the future."

He admitted that as a young man he hated opera, but mentioned that he

now considered the operas of Wagner and Shostakovich' s "The Nose" as

significant works of art. He said he believes that Wagner is "the

most important music I've ever listened to," and said it represented

the beginning of the modern era of music. "I rejoice in Wagner," he

stated unabashedly. In discussing musical systems, he pointed to

Scriabin, who was on the verge of a composite system and

Shostakovich, who he said was building an opera system with "The

Nose" that rivaled Wagner.

He said he recently played in Milan with Hamid Drake and William

Parker. He also played last week with Barry Altschul at Wesleyan

University. Of Hamid, he said he had known him for 20 years and was

familiar with Hamid's work in Chicago (back then, Hamid primarily

played the bongos), but the Milan concert was the first time he had

played with him since then. He confessed that there were many others

he would like to play with, citing Milford Graves, Bill Dixon, Sal

Mosca and of course Cecil Taylor. But, he felt pressure given the

finite time anyone has to enjoy life. "Time is running out," he

said, and he needed to spend the majority of his time on his projects

and his music. His major thrust in the future would be composing and

performing his own music.

He discussed his Ghost Trance Music (GTM), which he said requires 12

musicians to realize fully the quadrant potentials. He said that

unlike his previous systems that were built on "abstract logic and

the beauty of mathematics, " GTM had a spiritual component. Trance

music, he explained, was about the relationship between music and

spirituality and reached a "different plain of methodology, " beyond

the 12 methodologies and syntax he had used previously. He said that

the "ghost" in GTM represented known and unknown influences.

Returning to Wagner, he said Wagner was a form of trance music, and

he used the words "dream space time" to describe Wagner's version of

ghost trance.

He discussed his admiration for his student performers and looked for

ways to get them to improvise within the GTM system, a system he said

was "multi-hierarchical ." He said his role in GTM was to define the

primary composition but that once the music was underway, there were

options of reconfiguration open to the musicians. And he said he

encouraged a kind of a healthy competition between segments of the

septet by telling his youthful colleagues to take the music in new

directions or he would. He said that this was not unlike Charles

Mingus, who pushed his musicians to reach new heights.

While he remained concerned about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

(he believes the war in Iraq could be the single biggest mistake in

the history of the United States), he said he does not write music

that reacts to contemporary issues. He did agree that others had

used music to react to their times, for example, Shostakovich and

Xenakis to name two. He mentioned the civil rights movement as

something that affected him personally but whose issues did not

inspire his music. He said musically he was "not interested in

ethnic affirmation" or a commentary on his time space.

He believed that in the future, there would be a Wagnerian cross

collaboration of artists of all disciplines (visual art, dance, and

writing) with music and suggested that these cross disciplines would

play a role in his new area of interest, the Echo Echo Mirror House

music, which will use interactive video and electronics to create a

holistic form of composition. He suggested again that this "goes

back to Wagner."

He surprised us with his list of early influences, which included

Bill Haley and the Comets (as a kid, his reaction to this music

was "it doesn't get any better than this") and the Dave Brubeck

Quartet, specially the play of Paul Desmond, which he said "blew him

away." He recalled the first time he played the Dave Brubeck Quartet

and listened to Paul Desmond on the standard "All the Things You

Are." In his youth, he said he was put off by John Coltrane's

abstractions and wondered, "Why can't he play like Paul Desmond?" He

also mentioned that he would argue with his childhood friend (and

fellow musician) Thurman (T-bird) Barker over who was better, Paul

Desmond, or Thurman's choice Eddie Harris.

Going back to Cecil, he said that Cecil finally admitted to the

influences of Lennie Tristano and Dave Brubeck on his playing. He

said that Cecil's reluctance to admit these influences were the

result of the nationalism that evolved in the African American

community of the 60s and early 70s. He said that his music was "not

black enough" for Cecil but that Cecil had changed his mind when he

ran into musicians in New Orleans who said Cecil's music was not

black enough for them.

He admitted that there were culture wars in Black music today,

especially as he discussed the attitudes of those like Wynton

Marsalis, who control the agenda for Lincoln Center. He described

these gatekeepers as "African American elites," who he said came to

power in the "jazz purges" of African American musicians in the

1980s. As a result, he said, he was extremely grateful to the

Europeans, who at that time, "took me in and gave me the opportunity

to perform." Likewise, he said Max Roach saved him in the late 70s

by agreeing to do the double album with him. He said at the time it

was released his critics had basically written him off and it was Max

that came to his rescue, i.e., stuck up for him against those

musicians that were willing to turn their back on his efforts.

He discussed the role of Albert Ayler and why he uses the

phrase "post-Ayler" to describe music. He said "Albert Ayler's music

summarized everything that was happening in the sixties," and that

jazz's contribution to music at that time was "collective

improvisation. " During the 80s though, he said that jazz was boxed

into a narrow canyon of "swing.' "Doesn't swing" was a means of

excluding him and other musicians from the American stage. He said

that to the gatekeepers, Ayler was not jazz.

He went on to say that it all fell back on cultural myths

like "African people have more rhythm; Europeans have more brain

power but they don't have rhythm." The "land of Black," he

said, "starts there (with rhythm) and ends there (with rhythm)." And

he said this affects music right up to the present day. He said the

current music scene was stalled within the African American community

itself. "Iconic devices (like rhythm) have become a trap to keep

other influences out."

He told how Bill Cosby, one of the gatekeepers, had emailed his agent

to ask him to participate as a session musician in a band Cosby had

organized for the Playboy Jazz Festival). He described how bitter he

was towards Cosby's use of his name in his TV show. He said that on

the show, the son Teo, was looking for drugs and the pusher was named

Anthony Braxton. He (like anyone else) took great offense to this.

He also suggested that the Lincoln Center crowd was nothing more than

a cultural gatekeeper which filled the antebellum role of "house

negro," the ones who would report the goings on of the "field negro"

to the masters of the plantation. He said that while Wynton Marsalis

and Stanley Crouch should be commended for their work in bringing

Ellington to the schools of America, he said the AACM would've done

likewise if they had had the funds. But, he said that these

gatekeepers had used money and power to exclude music that "doesn't

swing" or is "not black enough" and to, using a Noam Chomsky

expression, "marginalize" musicians like him. He rejected outright

any nationalist thinking that "African equals good; Europe equals

bad."

He cited his love of technology and encouraged its use in the music

of the future. He jokingly blamed Yahoo group member Jason Guthartz

for his exploration of "galactic pieces." He said he was in a good

place now. And finally, he called his contrabass saxophone, "Big

Mac."

This was our afternoon lunch discussion with the master Anthony

Braxton. There was more that he said, but my limitations as a

journalist, especially without a tape player, are probably evident.

But I did want to give the group a feeling for the scope of the

discussion. I hope I've been able to do that.

John Sharpe recorded some of the discussion and may post excerpts.

and from the roval festival hall:

Royal Festival Hall

Cecil Taylor Quartet featuring Anthony Braxton plus support Sunday 8

July 2007, 7:30 P.M.

Piano genius Cecil Taylor, alongside Ornette Coleman, is acknowledged

as one of the major innovators of the 'Free Jazz' movement of the

late 1950s. After nearly 50 years, this pianist, composer and poet

remains one of the most controversial figures in jazz - continuing,

in his 77th year, to compose, write and tour. At a time in his career

when most artists of his stature could sustain themselves with a

victory lap of regurgitating the past or to slip into silent

retirement, Taylor continues to push new boundaries with his art. For

this concert, Cecil Taylor will be reunited with percussionist Tony

Oxley on drums, William Parker on bass, and will play, for the very

first time, with master saxophonist Anthony Braxton.

[J Larsen]

Anyone up for a trip to London in July?

[juergen]

...but not to short - one day later at the same place!!!

Royal Festival Hall - Monday 9 July 2007

Ornette Coleman Quartet

[jasonguthartz]

Anyone up for a trip to London in July?

I'm gonna wait for Bologna in October.

[jlhoots]

Thanks to Chalupa for posting that.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Just listening again to Sextet (Victoriaville) 2005. This is truly astonishing stuff!

[B. Clugston]

Two new ones out on Leo: a solo date from Pisa in 1982 and a Diamond Curtain Wall double-CD set from Glasgow in 2005. The former has seven originals, four standards and seven minutes of applause. The latter features Taylor Ho Bynum and Tom Crean and has Braxton limited to alto as his f-alto got stolen and his smaller horns were waylaid on the flight to Glasgow.