Me and Anthony Braxton

mully - i have always been on the 'gutter jazz' side of things - I think jazz should sound like it crawled out of a filthy comic sewer, not from some celestial music theory class. Naturally I've always avoided Braxton for this reason, but lately I've been finally opening my ears to some European stuff - Gunter Hampel, Michel Portal, etc - and finding that I like it A LOT in spite of myself and my negative connotations (read: wank). Still not ready for Brotzmann though!

Anyway, this Braxton thing is in line with these new discoveries (while not 'European,' might as well be in approach / aesthetic) and this particular record really caught my ear...

the thing that surprised be about that brotzmann record was that it was...fun

Anthony Braxton - Where Should I Start?

I haven't heard "Donna Lee" so I'm not sure what would sound similar to it, but for more "emotional" Braxton, I'd suggest maybe "Birth & Rebirth" which is the album of duo improvisations he did with Max Roach.

yes because black people are only fit for gutters and sewers aren't they?

you racist clown.

I was merely describing the sound of the music, to my ears - I thought that much was clear. It's the same reason i prefer Crass to The Clash, The Dead to Pink Floyd, or Cannibal Ox to Sage Francis.

YOU were the one who automatically madce this a 'race' thing, which actually befuddles me more than it angers me. How do you know I'm not talking about the very white Paul Flaherty, for instance? (I AM, by the way. That music is so fucking amazing and heartfelt it STINKS, you know? Eh, you probably don't.)

Next time maybe think before you post and start making stupid, groundless and inflammatory accusations, you liberal arts pussy.

it's like a bunch of rare bidness.
m.

check it out. actually, i was joking before, but now I'm serious. verve
just reissued 24 bit remastered versions of some of their ultra-rare free
jazz catalog from the french america label. these reissues sound fucking
waaaaaaaaaaaay better than the assy, dirt vinyl garbage original
pressings. of note are titles by alan shorter, frank wright, dave
burrell, art ensemble of chicago (esp. phase one), clifford thornton and
emergency (w. glenn spearman). i'm listening to the paul bley title right
now and it sounds fucking hot - featuring annette peacock on electric
piano and han bennink on percussion in addition to bley's wicked synth
mauling. not as good as "dual unity", but this will fucking do.

as well as....

so far the picks from me are

art ensemble "phase one" (which I already had) - featring 20 minutes of
the most balls-out aeoc blowing ever
alan shorter "tes etat" - gary windo is killer on this, it's probably
more shredding in intensity than most esp-disks
clifford thornton "the panther and the lash"

the emergency one - although "rare" - is pretty mediocre. the paul bley
is fine and very weird, but "dual unity" on freedom (same lineup) is a
better record for the synth freak-out stuff. i'm sure the frank wright
one is fine. his releases from that period are all characteristically
hoarse and intense.

buy them from a store that has a gracious return policy, then, return
'em.

Tes Etat is a motherfucker. I'd already heard Orgasm -- and that's a treat -- but this Tes Etat is just off-the-rails wild...

I really like the packaging too - only have that Art Ensemble one with Fontella Bass and this new Braxton thing I spoke of upthread, but looking forward to more.

I'm on a Birth Records kick this week.

somebody recommend me something that sounds like Black Woman - you know, vocals and guitar!

i was into braxton for a long time then suddenly realized that i didn't actually like or listen to much of his stuff. sold everything (including "donna lee") except the two ccc lps and a bailey/braxton duo lp. and i don't know why i kept them.