The Birth of a Record Label
And the Blossoming of an Innovator
For years, customers have been requesting it. Internet discussion groups have filled with rumors about it. And without question, the world has been lacking it. This Limited Edition Collection includes all nine projects for the label (on eight CDs) from this ground-breaking and genre-defying composer and multi-instrumentalist, from his 1974 debut featuring many brilliant members of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (Braxton's home city and late-60s creative flower bed) to his 1980 composition, "For Two Pianos." The music ranges from Braxton's explorations on unaccompanied alto saxophone, to two full CDs dedicated to a performance of a piece for four 39-piece orchestras, to duets with electronic instruments, and everything in-between.
Incredible as it seems, this music - as modern and original today as it was when it was created - has been frozen on vinyl until now, locked in a technological time warp. As fascinating as Braxton has always been to listen to is the unlikely story of jazz on the Arista label itself.
The recordings amassed over the six years he was recording for Arista are so varied in inspiration, settings and result that fully describing them is nearly impossible. Each of his original opuses explores realms of composed and improvised sound in unexpected ways, including incorporating instrument and performance noises (the air escaping during a tongued section, the pop of keys being depressed); deconstructing a solo on the spot during its moment of creation to investigate a nuance of articulation or the effect of a dynamic jump; even how a figure that a musician might repeat endlessly in practice, as an exercise, can be worked into actual music. His writing for big band runs the gamut from pieces that would not be uncommon to hear in a program of contemporary classical music from one of the world's great concert stages, to pieces that swing so hard and at such breakneck speed that the way he weaves improvisation, scored segments, sound, and pinging performance theatrics make it seem almost impossible to perform them anywhere.
The occasional instances where he records another composer's work are each unique events. A working of the Lionel Hampton tune "Red Top" for unaccompanied alto saxophone is more of a meditation on the theme than an interpretation. His Opus 23B is actually an atonal version of "Donna Lee," if you can picture that (and trust us, you can't); fascinating to contemplate and probably just as exciting for him to explore. His duet with Dave Holland on "You Stepped Out of a Dream" gives both musicians endless opportunities to step out of the song, only to re-find each other as if they were opening and passing through door after door in a endless hallway of entrances and exits. His performance of "Miss Ann," the Eric Dolphy tune, is an obvious homage to an idol. Rather than trying to replicate it, he pays the composer honor by pushing it, and himself, as far as he and the tune can go.
On the 47 compositions included, you'll hear Braxton on everything from flute and soprano saxophone to contrabass clarinet. His fellow musicians include many innovators in the New Music and Third Stream movements at the time, such as Kenny Wheeler, Leroy Jenkins, Dave Holland, Jerome Cooper, Barry Altschul, Cecil Bridgewater, George Lewis, Leo Smith, Muhal Richard Abrams, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Frederic Rzewski, Ursula Oppens, Karl Berger, Henry Threadgill, and electronic instrumentalist Richard Teitelbaum.
Our signature booklet includes an historical essay on Braxton's musical development and a track by track analysis of the recordings by trombonist/composer Mike Heffley, a former Braxton student and author of The Music Of Anthony Braxton (Greenwood Press); an accurate and detailed discography of the sessions; a reminiscence by original producer Michael Cuscuna and many photographs from the recording dates.
We appreciate the patience of the many interested Braxton enthusiasts who have been clamoring for this release. If you are new to his music, we urge you to become one of them.
