A highpoint of 1990s jazz
N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 04/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This disc documents a live concert encounter between Evan Parker & Anthony Braxton at the 1993 London Jazz Festival. It's not really typical of either musician's work--unlike most of Braxton's work, it's entirely improvised, without any reliance on the numbered series of compositions that he usually draws on for performances; & unlike most of Parker's work, it's decidedly in a _jazz_ bag. This is an unexpectedly emotional encounter, & mostly quiet, melodically oriented. These two musicians are the creators of the most formidable solo saxophone musics of recent decades (taking up the challenge of recordings like Hawkins' "Picasso" & Dolphy's "Tenderly"); but this encounter is actually more reminiscent of the Warne Marsh/Lee Konitz duets of the 1950s and 1970s.There are few other discs which so palpably demonstrate how music can be created out of thin air by players with well-honed senses of structure, sharp ears & quick wits. There is not a wasted note on this disc: whereas much free jazz & free improv works via the establishment of separate, bustling areas of activity which serve as almost a white-noise canvas against which new patterns & changes of direction emerge, these duets are performed in close proximity, unspooling like a single gesture. Though both players are masters of circular breathing, & several key points here involve polyphonic streams of unbroken variations, the real drama here comes in the in & out of breathing, as lines emerge from silence & drop back.This is one of the best discs of the 1990s: perhaps a disc that might appeal to those who find the fiercer or more abstract recordings by Parker & Braxton hard to approach. It should be considered an extension of the "cool" saxophone playing of Desmond, Marsh, Konitz & Giuffre: those who respond to that strain of saxophone playing will find much to enjoy & ponder here."
Hehe.
Lord Chimp | Monkey World | 05/12/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"why, I would have never expected these two to be involved in something so _nice_ sounding. Braxton and Parker still employ all the esoteric techniques in their repertoire, yet the music is very melodic and catching. The interplay is magical -- what is captured on disc here is a conversation, a cooperation of minds whose transcendental end is understanding, beauty, and truth."
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1