Looking back on a lifetime of work and friendship
greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 08/18/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the second part of a concert that took place at the Tonic in New York City on April 5th, 2003. The first part of the concert has already been released under the title Organic Resonance.
Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton have known each other at least since the late 60s. Probably their most fruitful work together was done as part of the Creative Construction Company, a group that came together in Paris about that time and included Leroy Jenkins, Muhal Richard Abrams and Steve McCall at various times.
Since then they have gone their seperate ways but both of them have developed at huge body of work based on their own individual sense of composition.
This concert comprises three compositions: Braxton's Composition No. 316, Smith's Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace and Goshawk which is credited to both men and is probably a complete improv.
Smith's style utilizes a lot of space and Braxton adapts to that by doing the same. There are plenty of moments where one of them is performing solo and even when they are playing together they are allowing plenty of room for the other to play. In this sense, this is a very different concert, say, from Braxton's 1993 London duet with Evan Parker.
This CD demands your attention. Otherwise, particularly on Braxtons's piece (which is almost 29 minutes long), the music will seem episodic, indeed, even disjointed. This is a mistake. These two guys are working thru (mostly)composed pieces, listening to each other improv on those pieces, but the way they work together is very loose,lyrical and free. The album info quoted above says that this is an example of how duet music can develop in the future. Maybe so, but it sets the bar pretty high.
If you are a fan of Braxton and Smith, this is definitely a CD for you. If you are a fan of free music and you don't know these guys, drop and give me two hundred push ups and then listen to these CDs. The only reason that I did not give this CD five stars is that the first CD strikes me as a little better. Buy them both so you can make up your own mind.
And finally, for my fellow Braxtonians, if you haven't heard Braxton's standards quartet that he is leading now with Kevin O'Neil on guitar, Andy Eulau on bass, and Kevin Norton of drums, are you in for a surprise! This is Braxton playing as straight as I have heard him but playing straight with assorted twists and angular turns. And O'Neil is a great foil for this side of the musical genius that is Braxton. There is a double CD available on Norton's Barking Hoops label. Perfect for those who have resisted Braxton for years (And you know who you are, Jan P. Dennis). Check it out."
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1