Anthony Braxton...where should I start?

[LotusCarsLtd52]

I want to check-out some Anthony Braxton so what albums of his should I check out first?

On a related note what are some good clarinet jazz albums to start with?

[Jazzomaniac]

I only have a few bootlegs of Anthony
Braxton, so I wouldn't know what to
recommend in that field.


However, I could recommend you some albums
with great clarinet-playing all the way through:


Check out the album with Art Tatum and Buddy
De Franco called "Group Masterpieces, Lenny Breau's
"The Complete Living Room Tapes" and Benny
Goodman's "Live At Carnegie Hall". Those are my favorites.

[Passinwind]

Originally Posted by LotusCarsLtd52

I want to check-out some Anthony Braxton so what albums of his should I check out first?

I'm partial to his side with Dave Holland, Conference Of The Birds.

[JimK]

Wow...that's like "Where do I start with Sun Ra or The Art Ensemble of Chicago"?

Here's a bad-ass alto solo on "Impressions"-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o0AYFRFX7g

Mosaic put out a great boxset-
http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinf...mber=242-MD-CD

Sometimes, I like checking out an artist's debut-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_C...ns_of_New_Jazz

...followed by a different period...followed by a later period, etc.
With Braxton, it runs the table-
There's solo discs, duet discs (w/ Max Roach, for example), trios, 4-tets, Big Bands, Jazz Orchestras, etc. It can be overwhelming!

This one, IMO, is totally accessible (if that's what you're looking for)-
http://www.amazon.com/News-70s-Antho.../dp/B00347ZYAC

www.dustygroove.com is a good Braxton site
www.downtownmusicgallery.com is a great Braxton site

Happy hunting.

[ugly_bassplayer]

www.allmusic.com

I really like his tribute to Monk.

[brianrost]

Braxton plays and composes such a wide range of music that it's tough to find a starting point, many of his recordings are hard to get into even for someone like me who enjoys free improv. A lot of Braxton's output is on European labels which makes them expensive to buy in the USA; by now he must have at least 100 albums. I have about half a dozen, no two are much alike. The Mosaic box is a big and risky investment if you've never heard him before.

I agree with Passinwind, Conference of the Birds by Dave Holland is a great one although it focuses on him as a player only. Obviously, plenty of great bass on that one

Braxton's only mainstream set I know of is Dave Brubeck's All The Things We Are which also has Lee Konitz (note: Braxton is not on all the cuts).

You might also try Paris Concert by Circle (who were Chick Corea, Holland, Barry Altschul and Braxton). A nicely recorded live set from the 70s, all four contribute compositions so you will start to get a feel for Braxton's writing.

All three CDs are easy to find as they are on ECM and Atlantic.