Anthony Braxton Quartet, Montreux 1975

Anthony Braxton, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Barry Altschul playing Braxton's Composition 23E at Jazz Festival Montreux, July 20, 1975. Please also visit my blog: crownpropeller.wordpress.com

[@lesgoe8908]

Barry Altschul -- an underrated drummer from this period. He could swing and play free while giving empathic support for soloists and ensemble. You don't play with Dr. Anthony Braxton if you're a drudge. (Michael Cuscuna was an angel to sign Braxton to the major label Arista in the 70s with some classic albums resulting -- including one with material from this concert.)

[@fjleduc]

I was there in 1975 squatting the Continental Hôtel. Braxton was a revelation. And Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie and friends jamming late at night. Mémorable.

[@monsterjazzlicks]

Every single Dave Holland solo I have heard always blows the audience away!

[@broadpath7184]

Saw Braxton and Holland live as a duo at around this time period. They did this piece with Bass and Contrabass Saxophone - slowly!

[@senorton]

for the record, this is Composition 40M. in Braxton's Composition Notes, reproduced in Graham Lock's "Forces in Motion" (New York, Da Capo Press, 1988), Composition 40M is described as "Fast tempo line over bass vamp" (this is on p. 343). Whereas Composition 23E is described as "Slow to very fast pulse line" (p. 337); in this case the horns play a slow, rubato line while the rhythm section starts out very slowly and gradually becomes quite frenetic. further, the "opus" numbers (i.e., the composition numbers) in the Mosaic set, which Michael Cuscuna prepared working closely with Braxton, bear this out. (it's confusing on the Arista albums because Braxton hadn't started publishing the composition numbers yet.)

[@broadpath7184]

Ever since first heard this piece some 45 years ago, the head was etched into my ganglia to the point that I would occasionally find myself singing it while doing mundane things - even after not hearing it for decades. Folks would ask what I was humming...

[@louisef.9137]

I'd kill to see these guys again...

[@tomd3098]

Christ, Dave Holland is just formidable on this one (well, always). His walking lines swing like fuck, and technique in his solo is just scary-good. What a player!

[@jeffdawson2786]

Formidable band with an open sound like Ornette’s.

[@jeffk829]

U lucky bastard!!! One year before I was born!!

[@raulmacias1311]

What a Rhythm section Dave Holland and Barry Altschul were! Anthony Braxton as always is mindblowing! Kenny Wheeler is great on Trumoet.

[@Markus_Breuss]

I was there!!! What a Concert!!!

[@brianhammer5107]

This was a FANTASTIC group. Those Arista albums 1971-1976 - wow. Good to see these guys at their prime ... young. CIRCLE was a great group, too - sub out Wheeler for Chick Corea. Like Eric Dolphy, Braxton played/excelled on several horns. After 1979 or so, I was only occassionally interested - when he did an album like "Six Compositions", for instance.

[@emilianoturazzi]

I thikn that Wheeler's solo'd deserve more praise :)

[@jeff-nz5zc]

man that bass sound, pretty heavy

[@jamespealing3518]

New York in the fall is a beauty as well as this.....

[@bobblues1158]

So Happening Swinging in an original way. My generation. Still holds up. Great Music

[@walterfoerderer4175]

Great music played by a great lineup.

[@Bonedalas]

One of my most favourite ensembles of all time. Many thanks!

[@unityjazzfoundation4648]

All...stars!!!