Notes from Anthony Braxton books

First two albums (including for alto) look into it.

Moved to paris in 1969 to work with the band Creative Construction Company (Leroy Jenkins and leo
smith)

May 1970 – played in the group circle with chick corea, dave Holland barry altshul. Look into it

Moved back to Europe

1974 – came back to the states to work with recording label Arista, worked with them for 6 years until
arista had enough of him

1985 – extreme poverty, appointed professorship at Mills University

Three compositions of new jazz – album: check it out.

Whereas his earlier three compositions of new jazz had been a group record, for alto presented a
double album of solo saxophone tracks, an unheard of project at the time. Several reed players had
already pioneered the occasional unaccompanied performance, but the idea of developing an entire
solo language for a single line instrument was particular to Braxton and the AACM. It proved enormously
influential , however , and solo LP’s and concerts by single line instrumentalists become commonplace in
the 1970’s Lock, p. 35

“ I decided it’s time to create a vocabulary, a syntax, for alto saxophone. The biggest difference between
me and the total improvisation schools that have developed is- it seems to me that structure gives one
the possibility of defining the space in a way where it can be evolutionary. I was interested in developing
a music and music system and then , from that point extending it.

MY last influences, those being Stockhausen and Coltrane, showed me beyond a doubt how to do it.
Coltrane to me demonstrates a very clear linear evolution in his music. Stockhausen would demonstrate
another evolution by establishing a particular piece with a language, then the next piece would be in
another language, another syntax. Without trying to develop any one line, he would demonstrate this
extended understanding of form and of putting events together. I decided to take both of these
approaches ; to start first at several different points and then try to generate from those points.

Lock, pg 51

We went to Paris because it made no sense to stay in Chicago after 1969. We were dying. And I had
been reading about Europe for years. I thought there was a possibly that people would be more
interested in the music. I took a plane to Paris; I had a one-way ticket and fifty dollars in my pocket. And
that is when the next cycle of my life began.

The first thing I recall that struck me about it was his sound. The sound grabbed me. Then after that his
logic grbbed me – held me in his grip, in fact. I think paul desmonds’ music is widely misunderstood on
many levels. He was fashionable for the worong reasons and he was hated for the wrong reasons. In
retrospect, when I look at his life, he was a sort of an enigma. It was very fashionable not to respect
desmond, but he touched a lot of people’s hearts. That’s the thing about the masters that is so
interesting: you can say what you like, but masters can touch your heart and change your life. In the
case of desmond, I know that’s true

Locke, pg 63

When I first heard Charlie parker – the record was Bird on 52 nd street – that record frightened me. It
frightened me, and it was the most exciting music I’d ever heard, and it was also talking of partials that I
could not, as a young man, understand exactly. He solidified all the language dynamics that took place in
his time period and, like louis Armstrong before him, his language would express that brilliance of th era
and all the people who had worked to solidify bebop. His work also personified the next juncture of the
post-existential African American, vibrationally and intellectually, after the second world war.

Locke, pg 65

I think Ornette Coleman is a dynamic master. He re-established the affinity dynamic implications of
trans-African functionalism and solved the problem of complicated vertical harmonic progressions. His
work re-established the fact that the music is not about any one way of functioning. He also extended
the existential implications of trans-African information dynamics. He would open the lid of the genie
lamp for the next generation of African American composers and intellectuals like myself. None of my
work would have been possible were it not for Ornette Coleman. Lock, pgs 70-71

Our music was viewed as cold, intellectual, borrowing from Europe or something. We were not
acceptable African americans. The image that surrounded my music in late Chicago would stay with me
all my life – that being the concept of the intellectual separate from what the essence of black African
intellectualism should be. For instance, I never talked about my music as being Great Black Muisc, I was
more interested in world music, but this was never fashionable in African American intellectual circles,
especially in the mid sixties through to the seventies. Any talk of univerisality was viewed as possibly
disloyal to Africa. And among the white community, ‘musicians like myself were seen as a parody of the
intellectual or as somehow trying to imitate something we were not. Locke pg 82-83

Tri-Axium writings compise over 1500 pages of densely argued, very abstract perspectives on the history
and philosophy of music. Braxton took seven years to write them, another fives to raise the money to
publish them himself. Even now only fifty or so copies of the three-volume sets are in circulation. Locke
pg 97

Tri-Axium Writings 1 begins with a chapter entitled “Underlying Philsosophical Bases”, in which Braxton
discusses the nature of creativity with respect to three particular contexts: World music, western art
music and trans-african music. Creaticity, he argues, has to do with “doing” as a means to celebrate and
affirm the vibrational forces that dictate living. 310
In Tri-axium Writings 2, Braxton focuses more closely on the relationship between creative music and
what he calss “the spectacle diversion syndrome, or, “what America has rather than culture.” He argues
that because of various historical factors, including slavery and the virtual annihilation of the American
Indian, America has developed a ainstream culture that is not only racist but also pecurialiy hostile to
alternative value systems ; especially those from within its own world culture group minroty
populations. 311

In triaxium writings 3 he devotes a section to “jazz criticism” and the false ideology it espouses. Te
history of this journalism, he suggests, the history of white failure to understand black music, in the
main because the secrets that surround the vibrational thrust of black music fall outside of western
terms of reference 315

The challenge of the Arista association was to feed them the quartet music and slip them some of my
other projects under the rug. So for five or six years, I was able to document some of the traditional
saxophone quartet material as well as slip in a piece for four saxophones, the duo with Richard
Teitelbaum, the chamber orchestra piece from Berlin, the piece for two pianos, the piece for trio and
the piece for four orchestras (Compositions 37, 38A, 63, 95, 76 and 82), which was the crowning project
at the time. 131

I wanted to get more notated pieces out, but I unserstood that the only pissiblity for me to maintain
momentum was to keep playing the saxophone – that was the channel the company would give me. It
was interesting – as the records came out, my name would go up in the polls , but when it became
apparent what I was reallt about,, I dropped from maybe third or foruth in Downbeat down too 500 th!

Pg 132

In the Tradition albums and seven standards record (post parker continuum)

I have three bebop records – but I can’t get my orchestra music out, I can’t even get my chamber music
out. I decided not to do too many bebop records to protect my real work; which is not to say tht bebop
is spereate from my work, but I haven’t spent twenty years generating a music only to throw it away
because bebop is back. Locke, pg 137

Experiencing Stockhausen’s music and his visions would help me try to function to my complete
potential; reading his analysis books would inspire me to systematize and calibraete every aspect of my
music. It was Stockhuasen who showed me the eauty and excitement of every aspect of music science.
In my dark periods, in those times when I was wonderinf how Icould get through, his music would
inspire me to keep doing my work. P 150

As far as John Cage is concerned, the philospohcial dynamics of his music would help me, as an African
American intellectual, to look into my own lineage and develop my own perspective. Experiencing the
music of Cage (and Stockhausen) would be the final part of my own equation, in terms of understanding
what I wanted to do with my life. Pg 151

Pulse track structures (23G)

Refers to the horizontal placement of given factors in the forward space of the music, horizontal
variables that define how the space in conceived in the same sense as vertical harmony does. The
principle of pulse tracks is that the rhythm section improvises until they reach a notated point or
section, they both the horns and rhythm section play that section of the composition , then improvise
indepbedlty until they reached the next notated section of the composition. Composition 116 is amon
the most popular works of his that employed the pulse track structure concept

Pg 199

I have, in the last year, begun to throw all my structures into the quartet, to think in terms of creating
giant solar systems or galaxies, and layerd sound spaces, many different simultaneous events. The
quartet is becoming a platform for all of the work I’ve been doing in the past twenty years; I’m starting
to integrate those processes into the music at an accelerating rate. Some of the things we’re doing now
are like a collage of several different works all mashed together to create a dynamic sound space. Pg 202

Multi orchestralism

Braxton sources Stockhausen, Xenakis, Johh Phillip Sousa and Sun Ra for his inspiration to write
compositions for multiple orchestra. Although it sounds like a modern outlandish concept, it is a
medium that has been experimented with by the likes of Canadian composer Henry Brant as well as
Monteverdi – in which he would place sections of his orchestra in different parts of the auditorium.

The mult-orchestral works, the first being Composition 82, for four orchestras, would be an attempt to
create a directional music. In the liner notes for Composition 82, Braxton talks about the different ways
to channel information moving from orchestra to orchestra, the spread of directional change of a given
idea, the different kind of trajectory ideas that arise and so on. This required the pefromances to be
given in a specific environment. In 82, for example, musicians are on different levels, just like a city,
pointing in different directions with chairs that swivel. pg 208

After the piece for ten orchestras, moving to the larger orchestra pieces, I envisioned TV systems,
telecommunications, becoming part of the process of the music, to help transfer information from
regions of the planet and create an alternative event context. 208

Encoded information in song titles

Anybody who puts out a record of mine without the correct title or who omits the title on my record is
doing me a profound disservice. That person is no friend of mine. It’s a violent, flagrant misuse of what
my music is all about. I hafe worked to the best of my ability in my craft to crate a music that respected
what I was thhhkning about and offer that to humanity – and the titling system is part of that. It is very
important to me that the titles are… well, they don’t have to be respected, but if someones going to put
out a record of my music I ask that the put out the right titles next to the compositions. The title will do
its own job. Just like the music will. 218

3 Compositions of New Jazz is the debut album by Anthony Braxton released in 1968 on

the Delmark label.[1][2] It features performances by Braxton, Leroy Jenkins and Leo Smith with Muhal
Richard Abrams appearing on two tracks.
The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "This is a long and tough
listen, but it's a light one in comparison to For Alto. And make no mistake: It is outrageously forward-
thinking, if not — arguably — downright visionary. Braxton's 3 Compositions of New Jazz is an
essential document of the beginning of the end".[3]

Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed September 23, 2011

For Alto is a jazz double-LP by composer/multi-reedist Anthony Braxton released on Delmark Records in

1969.[1][2] The tracks on this album are performed by Braxton on alto saxophone, with no additional
instrumentation or musicians and no overdubbing.

The album is recognized as one of the landmarks of free jazz and improvised music. The Allmusic review
by Thom Jurek stated "For Alto is one of the greatest solo saxophone records ever made, and maybe one
of the greatest recordings ever issued, period". [3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives For Alto a four-star
rating (of a possible four) along with its "crown" token of merit, and describes it as "one of the genuinely
important American recordings. While some landmark performances retain only a mystical aura of their
original significance, [For Alto] remains powerfully listenable and endlessly fascinating." [5] On All About
Jazz Derek Taylor observed "This is a recording and artistic statement that completely changed the rules.
Braxton's gall seemed audacious to some, but revolutionary to far more and the hindsight of history has
proven this latter camp correct. His opened the gates for solo improvisatory expression for all players up
to the challenge to pass through and in the intervening years many of the giants of improvised music
have followed suit".[6]]
Taylor, D., All About Jazz Review, September 1, 2000

Trio and Duet is an album by American jazz saxophonist Anthony Braxton recorded in 1974 and released
on the Canadian Sackville label.[1][2][3] The album features a trio performance of one of Braxton's
compositions and three duets on jazz standards. It was reissued in 2015 by Delmark Records, which
purchased the catalog of the Sackville label, with two bonus tracks.

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "This is a well-rounded album
that features the remarkable Anthony Braxton in two separate settings. ...Recommended". [4] The album
was reissued in 2015 and received many accolades. Troy Collins noted on All About Jazz that "Among the
many historically important and innovative recordings Braxton made in the 1970s, Trio and Duet stands
out as a major signifier of his all-encompassing, artistic vision". [5]In JazzTimes Michael J. West wrote
"Forty years later, 1974’s Trio and Duet remains one of Anthony Braxton’s best albums. If anything, it’s
even more compelling today because of its weight in Braxtonian history". [7]
 West, M. J., JazzTimes Review, May, 2015

For Four Orchestras is an album by American jazz saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton recorded
in 1978 and first released on the Arista label a triple LP.[1][2][3] The album features a composition by
Braxton written for four separate orchestras recorded in quadraphonic sound which was subsequently
rereleased on CD on The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton released by Mosaic Records in
2008.

The Allmusic review by Brian Olewnick awarded the album 1½ stars stating "Unfortunately, the results
don't live up to expectations. "Composition 82" is written in an extremely dry academic style with little
differentiation of its course. It is quite conceivable that a performance by a more polished orchestra or,
better yet, one made up of creative improvisers would be a substantial improvement. And one must
keep in mind that the piece is designed to place the audience in a central position, surrounded by the
orchestras, and thus able to hear musical ideas and fragments tossed back and forth from one group to
another. Still, the musical material itself sounds routinely dreary and uninspired, as if Braxton was
declaring that he too could write music as sterile and vapid as his European contemporaries. One might
more charitably, however, write this effort off as an interesting experiment that failed; ideas appear
herein that would bear far more beautiful fruit in later works". [4] Reviewing the rereleased recordings
for All About Jazz Clifford Allen observed "The work moves in cycles based around single chords, and
though certainly a lot busier than Morton Feldman's later orchestral works, there is an affinity for
instrumental flurries presenting themselves in relation to a steady and central pulse. Furthermore,
though the number of musicians participating, one never gets the sense of an overbearing sonic weight.
Rather, each orchestra operates as a separate but interactive living organism, conducted and arranged
in specific relation to the others. ... Braxton's Four Orchestras expand a color field without pushing those
colors too far out of the canvas' edges". [5]
 Allen, C., Anthony Braxton: The Complete Arista Recordings - Review, All About Jazz, January 19, 2009

Ensemble (New York) 1995 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with an
ensemble, recorded at the Knitting Factory in 1995 and released on his own Braxton House label. [1][2][3]

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek stated "This performance of "Composition 187" by an 11-piece

ensemble is an attempt by the composer -- who also performs -- to erect a sound sculpture along
contructivist principles regarding time and space. How this comes off to the listener is as a series of long
repetitive phrases by the reeds and winds and a series of contrapuntal responses by strings and
percussion entwined in a third harmonic equation by the entire ensemble tonally as the piece goes on.
Members begin to break off into smaller groupings until the theme itself has transmuted into another
tonal dimension and becomes a fragmentary element in the sonic construction of musical terms and
their relationship to the time/space continuum. ... this is brave new work for Braxton, who is writing
more often now for larger ensembles and is allowing his sense of humor -- which is profound, believe it
or not -- to enter into his writing and recording. There are sounds here that evoke carnivals and circuses
as well as parades and rallies. All of them are balanced by shifts of timbre and meter in his architecture.
The intervallic structure alone is a dynamism that turns back the notion that interval is merely a device
for enhancing or restricting improvisation. Braxton makes it an end in and of itself with a host of
instruments creating the necessary shifts for intervallic invention mutate from one to another without
seam or stitch. This is a brilliant work"
Jurek, Thom. Ensemble (New York) 1995 – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2017.

Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 1 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with a
ninetet, recorded at the Yoshi's in 1997 and released on the Leo label in 2002 as a double CD.[1][2][3][4]

The Allmusic review by Steve Loewy stated "this two-CD set captures Anthony Braxton's "Ghost Trance"
music performed by a sympathetic nonet, consisting of a saxophone sextet plus a rhythm section. Each
of the group's members is closely associated with Braxton, so that this performance can be said to
accurately portray the structure of the music and the intentions of the composer. The sound is
surprisingly clear for a live performance, too. This is very difficult music to listen to at one sitting, and the
written saxophone parts can be particularly torturous. Pounding pulses devoid of melody, a somewhat
limited tonal palette, and lots of repeating phrases (what the composer calls "repetition") add to the
complexity and the opaqueness. ... the solos and trio breakouts are nothing less than splendid. For those
who have been exposed to this phase of Braxton's music, these two performances are among his best
for a small group. For those who have not yet tasted these fruits, you may wish to start elsewhere with a
single helping"
 Loewy, Steve. Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 1 – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2017.

 2013: Echo Echo Mirror House (Victo)

Anthony Braxton's Echo Echo Mirror House Music Project  (EEMHM) was first conceptualized in 2007 and
premiered in two ensemble performances at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, on April
30th and May 4th, 2009. To date, there have been seven performances of EEMHM, of which I have been
involved in five. In addition to their instruments, each musician in the EEMHM ensemble controls an
iPod which contains Braxton's entire recorded discography (or most of it). At the beginning of a
performance, each musician hits play on their iPod simultaneously to immediately create a texture of
recorded sounds. Ensemble size varies from six to twenty musicians, each using iPods, so the collage
gets dense immediately. Performers are able to:

1) Change which piece is played on the iPod;

2) Perform sections from the notated material;

3) Respond to cues from the conductor that change their interpretation of the written material or their
manipulation of the    recorded material