(Free Jazz, Free Improvisation) Anthony Braxton - Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol.3 [Composition N. 211, Composition N. 212], 2CDs - 2005, APE (image+.cue) lossless

John Eyles for One Final Note
Professor Anthony Braxton will be 60 on June 4, 2005. Here are two releases recorded when he was 52 and 58, respectively. On the defunct website for Braxton's own Braxton House label, it still advertises as releases "in preparation": Ghost Trance Festival (Oakland) 1997 (12 CDs) and Ghost Trance Festival (New York) 1997 (10 CDs). Yeah, right. In reality, those twelve CDs from Oakland are emerging two at a time, courtesy of Leo records; here is the third double CD (of six, finances permitting) from his six nights recorded at Yoshi's, in August 1997. (I don't think the New York stuff has been sighted yet, has it?)
This third volume will not surprise anyone who has heard either of the previous volumes or other releases of the Ghost Trance Music. That is the essence of GTM; it is not designed to surprise you. It is rigidly structured. It gets into a groove and then stays there for a long time, often an hour or longer — probably far longer if Braxton really had free rein! Yes, there are solos on top of the repeated patterns that define each composition, but that is where they are — on top. Solos are largely irrelevant to the forward impetus of the music, as is group interaction. Each of the nine players — six reeds, electric guitar, bass, percussion — has a part to play in the ensemble, seemingly irrespective of the others, making for a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic sound that toe-tappers can toe-tap to. The ensemble sections alternate with slower, pastoral sections featuring duos or trios, but the ensemble is never far away from returning to march things forward. In truth, within this there is a rich tapestry of detail to appreciate; every listening reveals something fresh and novel.
It was not by chance or for crass exploitative reasons that Braxton House was going to release this music in ten- and twelve-CD sets. It is obsessive music, designed to be heard in large quantities, so let's thank Leo records for getting so much of it out. And if you are tempted to purchase this, take a tip: buy lots of it, go for total immersion and surrender to it. It's the only way. [Point to ponder: What's in a name? To label music is to alter forever how it is experienced. Names do make us hear things differently. Punk. Grunge. Soul. Jazz... How would this music be regarded if it hadn't been labelled "Ghost Trance Music"? Is the name trying to describe it or suggest to us how to experience it?]
The duo album on Emanem is definitely post-Ghost Trance Music, although Braxton retains clear traces of his GTM period; he now seems to structure his own playing over longer time scales, with greater repetition as an integral part of it. The album features 66 minutes of music improvised in real time and (in typical Emanem style) presented in its entirety. As on the label's other recent releases by Milo Fine (a duo with Derek Bailey and a double CD of encounters from his visit to London in 2003), he proves to be an interesting partner in a duo, especially when paired with a true heavyweight.
The album makes a strong case for sets like this being presented as a whole; the changing dynamic between Fine and Braxton makes fascinating listening. Initially, Fine makes frequent switches between piano, drums, and clarinets, and his contributions on their own do not have any great substance or coherence to them. He certainly does not sound like a player who takes an idea and then explores it in depth or at length, more like one with a short attention span who flits around. That would be a criticism if Fine were playing alone, but this is duo playing and he complements Braxton's saxophones well, adding embellishments and contrast. Braxton is the main course, as intense and focused as ever, Fine is the garnish.
Gradually, that relationship changes; Fine's playing becomes more substantial and the two become more a duo of equals. The peak of the album comes in parts 8 and 9 (for ease of use, the continuous performance is indexed into eleven parts). On the former, Fine plays piano for a sustained period, giving a virtuoso display; in response, Braxton fires off an intense burst of alto sax, fierce and fiery with a tone as harsh and brutal as anyone's. Awesome. On the latter, Fine plays drums while Braxton gives a far more reflective, melancholy performance, his tone soothing and beguiling, in total contrast to the preceding violence.
As Braxton enters his seventh decade, he remains as prolific, diverse, inspired, and intriguing as ever.

Anthony Braxton - leader, woodwinds
Brandon Evans - woodwinds
James Fei - woodwinds
Jackson Moore - woodwinds
Andre Vida - woodwinds
J.D. Parran - woodwinds
Kevin O'Neil - guitar
Joe Fonda - bass
Kevin Norton - percussion