Anthony Braxton (Chicago, IL, 1945) and I have known each other since about 1980 and of each other since the mid ‘70s. We pretty much enjoy our encounters and seem to be in agreement on most things from baseball to personal individual assessments. We do not always agree on things musical or, more specifically, Braxical. It is for that reason, even though we have had a social and business relationship over the decades, we have never had a production agreement. Either I didn’t want to be involved with a specific project of Anthony’s or he did not want to be involved in some musical project of my design – until now. Some time after the new year, Anthony called and, in his floral way, suggested we collaborate. He said he had 5 projects that interested him and he outlined each one specifically. I rejected one and said the others were all of potential interest. Of the remaining 4, he chose the one which logistically would be the easiest to accomplish for reasons of time and personnel. Preparations were begun and a few weeks later, with anticipation and satisfaction, Anthony announced that he had narrowed the material down from 50 tunes to just 30. But as the repertoire shrank, the group grew larger. The core group was the quartet of Kevin O’Neil (Bristol, CT, 1968), Andy Eulau (Sleepy Hollow, NY, 1958), and Kevin Norton (Brooklyn, NY 1956). Then, remembering CIMP’s previous associations with Paul Smoker, Anthony said that if parties were interested he would like to use Paul on 3 (or was it 6?) pieces, and then a bit later Anthony included Steve Lehman (Brooklyn, NY, 1978) for some pieces.
Anthony arrived first, around 11 a.m., and didn’t stop talking until he started playing. He is still a man of remarkable energy. In the mid afternoon, he warmed up and did sound checks. At 5:30 p.m., he began consuming a large meal, simultaneously carrying on heated discussions, generally about art, the artists, and the state. By a bit after 8 p.m., he was passionately warming up on soprano and, by 8:30 p.m. the first set began. Things began heating up around 9:15 p.m. By 10:30 p.m. I asked Kevin (Norton) if he’d like some water. This triggered Anthony to ask, “Would you guys like to take a break?” Kevin replied, “It’s up to you,” and Anthony (already miming pushing a wall of air) continued, “’cause you know I like to keep going.” And keep going we did.
His is a dedication, an unaffected enthusiasm that’s both infectious and catalytic. The first break came at 10:45 p.m., following a fine take (issued) of C-Bop. We regrouped about 20 minutes later and they attacked Lo-Joe, a tongue twister that ran through almost 10 spirited but incomplete takes and produced 3 strong complete takes of which #3 is issued here.
Paul Smoker (Muncie, IN, 1941) arrived Tuesday and that, along with the positiveness of the previous night’s music, a good night’s rest, fresh air and a sense of new beginnings, seemed to further feed Anthony’s upbeat enthusiasm. For Anthony it was a reunion of sorts. He was a guest on Paul’s first recording in 1984 (Alvas Records) and Paul had been a member of Anthony’s group in the early ‘90s.
The Quartet opened with Pumpkin, renewing the strengths of the night before.
Steve joined the group for Symmetry. Steve, who had helped with some of the musical mechanics during the previous 24 hours, had up until this point yet to play anything. I had been kidding him that as far as I was concerned, all the food, space, and bedding he had consumed was without portfolio. As shown on his work here, he lived up to Anthony’s billing. At this young age, Steve plays maturely, inventively and with deliberation. Space deserved and earned.
Paul joined the event next (New Monastery) bringing even more authority and depth to the unit and giving Kevin (Norton) and Andy an even broader platform to play into, to build the base, and to carry and launch the solo payloads that often shook the room. After Paul left the quartet regrouped and, almost in complement to the void and the now gentle rain, Anthony gave a particularly evocative reading of Black Monday.
The last session of the second day began about 9:30 p.m. Fatigue was in the air, but at bay, while some more of Andrew Hill’s ballads, McNeil Island and No Doubt, were addressed. Steve Lehman was recalled for Pinnacle, which very
subtly grew into quite a powerful statement with a string of very strong solos and became a performance that I think took a few of us by surprise with its power. Eventually, fatigue conquered and it was left to the morning of the third day to finish up.
Anthony is one of the most heavily recorded musicians of the past quarter
century and still there are surprises in the material, the attack, the unusual (and excellent) pairing with guitar and the overall vintage of this very modern music. So, as Anthony pushes forward he also elevates the past. In fact, if there were no surprises here, no notable addition to the body of work, this would be music unheard. But, it is heard; listen.
The original intent of this get together was to reference the music of Andrew Hill and then some; a simple premise with inspired results.
Robert D. Rusch - 5/24/00
