AOTW April 17th -23rd - For Alto

[Alexander Hawkins]

Well, in order to fill in I suggested on that other thread that we discussed Braxton's 'For Alto'.

I did post on this in the recommendations forum not too long ago:

For Alto

But the discussion - very usefully, I might add! - turned into some recommendations about solo saxophone music more generally.

So, For Alto. Recorded 1969, and Braxton's second album, I believe.

This seems to be heralded as the first full-length solo saxophone album, and it's a double-LP length at that.

Some thoughts, in no particular order:

1) I think this is the record to play those people who think Braxton is somehow cold or passionless. Moments in the John Cage tribute are almost frighteningly intense.

2) As I've listened to this CD over the few weeks I've had it, I'm struck by the coherence of it all. In the (IMHO excellent) Graham Lock book, 'Forces in Motion', AB talks of his terror during his first totally solo recital. After however long, he says he simply couldn't summon the ideas; hence him developing his various schemas for improvisation. I think this is very honest: althought the romantic image of the 'free' improviser is to go up on the stand and 'play what you feel', perhaps it is that being of limited cognitive abilities, as humans we probably are at our freest and most creative with certain stimuli (such as AB takes from his compositions).

3) A relatively unimportant point, but I really like the sound on this. I don't know the story, but it sounds like a 'home-made' recording. Sure, it's not perfect - and nobody get me wrong, the sound of a recording never put me off anything - but it's very natural. It's not over-produced in the slightest, and it makes the horn sound very real. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this makes it very listenable and direct: I listen almost in the same way as I might if he were in the room.

4) His technical control of the horn is awesome, by the sounds of things (I'm not a horn player, so don't appreciate it like some might). Again, I'm never overly hung-up by technique, but for those who are impressed by it, or respect it, Braxton seems to be all there. The jumps in and out of the altissimo register are awesome.

5) I think this record places him very clearly in the historical lineage. Sure, just the titles (they're subtitled as a series of dedications, e.g. to John Cage, Cecil Taylor, Leroy Jenkins, as well as to various (presumably) personal friends of his) - suggest the Braxton is aware of debts. But as well as this, it's easy to hear him as part of what he might call (I can't remember his precise terminology from the Lock book) the post-Parker/Ayler continuum. More precisely, I hear lots of 3 influences: Bird, Dolphy, and Ornette. I'm always interested by his comments on Dolphy in the Lock book. Basically, he says that although he likes ED's playing, he doesn't regard him as much of an influence. This may well be the case - we probably have to take him at his word - but to my ears, he sounds temperamentally a lot like Dolphy (and although it's not an issue on this single-instrument album, his multi-instrumentalism always brings Dolphy to mind).

6) Given the above, this music is very hard to classify. I think this is good; classification is treacherous, and by and large useless, I suspect. Is it avant-garde? Sure, in many respects - the use of extended techniques, the use of graphic scores, the concept of a complete solo album etc. But then Bird, Dolphy etc. are so explicit in this music (at least to my ears). Maybe, in fact, this recognition just colours our interpretation of the term avant-garde, in illustrating that there is no conceptual problem in linking the avant-garde to the tradition. You've got to know where you've been to know where you're going, to know the rules to break them, etc. etc.

7) Related to where the discussion on the other thread (linked above) went, this is a great place to get started on solo saxophone repertoire, I think. Simply, you don't miss other instruments, as I as a relatively inexperienced listener had feared I might.

[Alexander Hawkins]

This is our discussion of Braxton in general

[Alexander Hawkins]

And here is a typically hyperbolic, but quite nice, I think, review from AMG by Thom Jurek.

[Gary]

Well, in order to fill in I suggested on that other thread that

So, For Alto. Recorded 1969, and Braxton's second album, I believe.

I read somewhere recently that it wasn't issued for a couple of years, is this correct?

If so was it because the innovative nature of the recording or normal record company business reasons?

[Alexander Hawkins]

...And here is something quite interesting: some liner notes Braxton penned for the original issue, but which - for whatever reason - weren't actually included.

Edit: Gary - to be perfectly honest, I don't know! I can't afford any discographies (yet!), and online, I couldn't after a brief search find anything.

Edited April 15, 2005 by Red

[Alexander Hawkins]

I also think this is quite different to '3 Compositions of New Jazz', but taken in tandem, what a stunning pair of records to debut as a leader! I don't have the contemporary knowledge of various people here, but I'd have thought it's fair to say that Delmark, in 'For Alto' and 'Sound', had two seminal works of the music.

[Chuck Nessa]

I read somewhere recently that it wasn't issued for a couple of years, is this correct?

If so was it because the innovative nature of the recording or normal record company business reasons?

It was recorded in '69 and was issued in the '70 or '71 - not sure. If there was a delay it was caused by label finances, not musical considerations.

Anthony recorded this material in his apartment on a "home recorder" and delivered it to Delmark (to fulfill his contractual obligation and get some bread) when he was leaving for Europe.

The tapes are/were pretty rough and I took a lot of crap from some poster at JC for the quality of the sound. He said something like "the label cheaped out" on the reissue, but I assure you there were no economic restraints on the project. There are a number of overloads, distortions, etc and we tried Cedar and NoNoise on various sections but I decided not to use them in the end. What you hear is a good representation of what's on the tapes.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Interesting. I like the idea of coming up with something this revolutionary on a home recorder, and dropping it into your company just like that!

[Gary]

I read somewhere recently that it wasn't issued for a couple of years, is this correct?

If so was it because the innovative nature of the recording or normal record company business reasons?

It was recorded in '69 and was issued in the '70 or '71 - not sure. If there was a delay it was caused by label finances, not musical considerations.

Anthony recorded this material in his apartment on a "home recorder" and delivered it to Delmark (to fulfill his contractual obligation and get some bread) when he was leaving for Europe.

The tapes are/were pretty rough and I took a lot of crap from some poster at JC for the quality of the sound. He said something like "the label cheaped out" on the reissue, but I assure you there were no economic restraints on the project. There are a number of overloads, distortions, etc and we tried Cedar and NoNoise on various sections but I decided not to use them in the end. What you hear is a good representation of what's on the tapes.

Fascinating - Thanks Chuck.

Had Anthony discussed with Delmark the concept of 'For Alto' before recording it?

[Alexander Hawkins]

Gary Posted on Apr 19 2005, 06:41 PM

  QUOTE (Chuck Nessa @ Apr 18 2005, 10:33 PM)

QUOTE (Gary @ Apr 15 2005, 11:11 AM)

I read somewhere recently that it wasn't issued for a couple of years, is this correct?

If so was it because the innovative nature of the recording or normal record company business reasons? 

It was recorded in '69 and was issued in the '70 or '71 - not sure. If there was a delay it was caused by label finances, not musical considerations.

Anthony recorded this material in his apartment on a "home recorder" and delivered it to Delmark (to fulfill his contractual obligation and get some bread) when he was leaving for Europe.

The tapes are/were pretty rough and I took a lot of crap from some poster at JC for the quality of the sound. He said something like "the label cheaped out" on the reissue, but I assure you there were no economic restraints on the project. There are a number of overloads, distortions, etc and we tried Cedar and NoNoise on various sections but I decided not to use them in the end. What you hear is a good representation of what's on the tapes. 

Fascinating - Thanks Chuck.

Had Anthony discussed with Delmark the concept of 'For Alto' before recording it? 

I was wondering that too...

Also, am I right in thinking it was a sort of AACM rite of passage to be able to play a solo recital? Were these types of outing common at AACM concerts, or was this record really out of the blue?

[Chuck Nessa]

Also, am I right in thinking it was a sort of AACM rite of passage to be able to play a solo recital? Were these types of outing common at AACM concerts, or was this record really out of the blue?

Don't recall attending any Braxton solo performances at the time but do remember Roscoe doing solo pieces as part of performances. When we recorded Congliptious in early '68 the first side of the lp was solos by Roscoe, Lester and Malachi. Old/Quartet contained a solo piece by Roscoe from late '67. 'Twas in the air.

Braxton's first AACM documentation is on Muhal's Levels and Degrees of Light - June of '67. He had recently returned from the Army and immediately jumped into the musical scene. To deliver 2 lps of solo saxophone (2 years later) was an audacious move to say the least.

I'm sure some of this will be covered in George Lewis' book when it appears.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Thanks Chuck.

An audacious move, and at the age of 24! Wow. Coming up to my 24th birthday in a couple of weeks...Getting my head around the recording is enough; to imagine playing the stuff!

Should have remembered the material from 'Congliptious', actually: I was enjoying the Art Ensemble box only last night!

edit: for Italian readers, this looks to be an interesting article.

Edited April 20, 2005 by Red