Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Anthony Braxton Quartet: (Willisau) 1991 Studio
Anthony Braxton Quartet: (Willisau) 1991 Studio
ByAlthough we can't discount Braxton's more recent crop of cohorts that have included Mary Halvorson, Tomas Fujiwara, Taylor Ho Bynum, and Ingrid Laubrock, this quartet may have been Braxton's finest assembly of improvisers, and each has gone on to become elder statesmen in jazz. Their exploits and beginnings were documented in a sort of travelogue book of interviews by Graham Lock, Forces In Motion: The Music And Thoughts Of Anthony Braxton (Da Capo, 1989).
Originally issued (now long out-of-print) as a four disc set, Willisau (Quartet) 1991 -Studio/Live (hatART, 1992), you guessed it, contained the quartet's studio, plus live June performances at Mohren in Willisau, Switzerland. This remastered edition separates sessions, and along with the two remastered (Santa Cruz) 1993 (Hatology, 2015) discs, reestablishes this quartet in a historical context. Recall that the 1991 Grammy Award for jazz winner was Oscar Peterson, which followed a string of conservative wins by the traditionalist Wynton Marsalis. Jazz as forward-thinking, creative music was struggling to find an audience. Okay, it has always struggled to find listeners, and Braxton's music is especially complex. These quartet sessions, like his Charlie Parker Project, are a great introduction to his concepts. Let's think of this band as the next progression of, say, John Coltrane's famous quartet. Braxton stretches jazz conventions (like Coltrane) with the full participation of his quartet. There is no hesitation by any member, and although there are solos, each becomes part of the whole, with all listening and contributing. If Braxton was (is) ahead of his time, journeying back to 1991 today might be about time.
Track Listing
CD 1:
No.160 (+5) + 40J; No. 23M (+10 + 108D); No. 158 (+96) + 40L; No. 40A; No. 40B.
CD 2:
No. 161; No. 159; 23C + 32 + 105B (+30); 23M (+10 + 108D); No. 40M.
Personnel
Anthony Braxton
woodwindsAnthony Braxton: alto & sopranino saxophone, clarinet, contrabass clarinet, flute; Marilyn Crispell: piano; Mark Dresser: double bass; Gerry Hemingway: drums, marimba.
Album information
Title: Quartet (Willisau) 1991 Studio | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Hat Hut Records
Comments
About Anthony Braxton
Instrument: Woodwinds
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To