Over the years Anthony Braxton has relayed the tale of how he moved away from freely improvised music to blowing within structured frameworks of his own devising. During a fully improvised solo gig he had the terrifying sensation of having run through all of his moves after just a few minutes. He vowed never to let that happen again.
Fortunately he has stuck to his word. Having reached the level of legend in the world of creative improvised music, he has shown in several groupings over the years that there is little chance of his running out of ideas as an instrumentalist. The latest example is this fine recording of five sessions with two other legends: William Parker and Milford Graves. Each of these “meetings”, as they are entitled on the disc, was recorded in Bill Laswell’s studio.
The overall sound of the group during many segments of this CD will be familiar to fans of outside jazz: Graves and Parker emanate roiling waves of a-periodic pulse across which Braxton’s saxophones dive, dip, and surf. It is an approach that stretches back through scores of players to such innovators as Coltrane, Taylor, and Ayler. Nor, should this be surprising, since Milford Graves is one of the progenitors of this style of rhythm section work.
Within these broader strokes, though, are the details that reveal the improvisational power of these three masters. Each is capable of sustaining such interest that it is possible (perhaps recommended) to initially give the disc three different listens, each time closely tracking the twists and turns of only one of the musician’s output. Doing so will also make it clear that these players not only spontaneously produce great individual lines, but truly feed on creative interaction.
Braxton’s playing is in top form here. The open pulse of the rhythm sections leads him to maintain a high sense of momentum and volume. Many of his lines consist of keening lyrical motifs punctuated by several bars of rapid-fire staccato notes. This particular grouping seems not leave him as much room to build some of the more complex sonic architectures his fans might expect, but the chance to hear him interact with true peers in free-form playing is reward enough.
Milford Graves’s playing throughout the CD is similarly a treat. Graves brings a sense of melody to his drumming. He clearly develops phrases and melodic lines based on the tones of the different drums. His interaction with the Braxton’s and Parker’s own riffs is rapid fire, almost telepathic in spots. And his use of non-verbal vocalizations on “Second Meeting” is tasteful and really plays up the African overtones of his approach.
Parker’s energy here is seemingly boundless. He seems to push himself to stay right with Graves throughout, with the result that his bass sounds almost like an extension of the drum kit at times. Although the details of Parker’s lines can sometimes get lost in bombast, he has a more trebly tone on this disc that punches up his frenzied finger work.
Comments and Feedback:
| 
