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ANTHONY BRAXTON: Unhampered by Strained Pretentiousness Lawns

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ANTHONY BRAXTON: Unhampered by Strained Pretentiousness Lawns something too subtle for me to detect at this early stage in my relationship with the music. The lyrics, too, sometimes remind me of what Wilfrid Sheed said about symbolism: if the reader (or lis- tener) gets it, you've taken an unneces- sarily roundabout way of communicat- ing with him, and if he doesn't get it you haven't communicated with him at all. That's just the trouble with symbol- ism, though, and certainly no reason not to use it. There's more to poetry thansimplecommunication-other- wise telegrams would be literature. And so the appeal of Mitchell's meta- phors lies in their richness, in how long you can continue to pull new ideas and fresh slants out of them, no matter how many of them came from her head, how many from yours. I hope I've made it clear that this isn't much of a party record; you'll have to deal with it privately, as you would read a book. But it should keep you occupied for about as long as you want it to-and how often does "popu- lar" music do that? Noel Coppage JONI MITCHELL: The Hissing of Summer ANTHONY BRAXTON: unhampered by strained pretentiousness Lawns. Joni Mitchell (vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer); John Guerin (drums); Max Bennett (bass); Larry Carlton (guitar); other musicians. In France They Kiss on Main Street; The Jungle Line; Edith and the King- in fact, not a musical revolutionary;a smattering of pretense about him, it is pin; Don't Interrupt the Sorrow; Shades of what he does is rather tame comparedin his use of schematic diagrams as ti- Scarlet Conquering; The Boho Dance; Har-to the output of most of his contempo-tles for his compositions: I find it a bit ry's House -Centerpiece; Sweet Bird; Shad- raries in the field of the so-called "newtoo cute, quite apart from the fact that ows and Light. ASYLUM 7E-1051 $6.98, C) music," yet it is thoroughly modern bymy typewriter is incapable of rendering ET8-1051 $7.98, C) TC5-1051 $7.98. any reasonable standards. Braxton'ssuch drawings. That, however, is a improvisations are structured-whichvery minor complaint, and thisal- in some circles is considered downrightbum-unlike the previous one-does sinful-and they are as liberated andcontain one tune with a typable title, fresh as Louis Armstrong's solos were the 1940 ballad You Stepped Out of a fifty years ago, unhampered by theDream, which Braxton and Dave Hol- strained pretentiousness that marks theland play beautifully as an alto saxo- Anthony Braxton: efforts of such groups as the Art En-phone and bass duet. Braxton has re- Improvisations as semble of Chicago, which, like Brax- corded standards before, but he should ton, sprang from Chicago's Associa-do them more often. Liberated and Fresh tion for the Advancement of Creative Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and Dave Music. Holland, who also appeared on Brax- As Louis Armstrong's Sad to say, most of Braxton's col-ton's last album ("New York, Fall leagues from the AACM appear to suf- 1974," Arista AL 4032) show even fer from the misconception that musi-greater rapport with their leader this REVIEWINGrecords canentaila cal freedom means a total disregard for time around, and drummer Barry Alt- great deal of suffering when one is the past. They forget that the true in-schul is excellent as well. All three men forced to sit through entire albums thatnovators-menlikeLester Young,are forces to be reckoned with, and all normally would not rate ten 331/2 rpm's CharlieParker,and Bud Powell-seem to have in common with Braxton of one's time, but once in a while theremerely took the music of their pre-a refreshing refusal to compromise or comes an album that makes up for suchdecessors a step further; had they notbow under to the commercial pressures auralassaults.AnthonyBraxton's themselves been in complete commandthat so often turn outstanding jazz tal- "Five Pieces 1975" is such an album: a of their instruments, and had theyent into contestants vying for that car- significant new release by an artist whomerely broken with tradition for the rot the industry calls a gold record. may well be the most important jazzsake of being different,the world Chris Albertson composer/player since John Coltrane. would soon have forgotten them. Brax- Some new artists are considered im- ton is breaking new ground without ANTHONY BRAXTON: Five Pieces 1975. portant by critics because they breaksmashing the old, he is master of his in-Anthony Braxton (saxophones, flutes, clari- with convention. Too often, this sort ofstruments, and he is an aesthetic crea- nets); Kenny Wheeler (trumpet, flugelhorn); thinking has catapulted into the lime- DaveHolland(bass);BarryAltschul tor with a fertile musical imagination(drums). You Stepped Out of a Dream; light musicians who are high on gim-that has yet to reach its zenith. G-647. etc.; 4038-NBS . etc.; 489 mickry and low on talent, but such is Anthony Braxton is also a most in- M ... etc.; BOR. etc. ARISTA AL 4064 not the case here. Anthony Braxton is,teresting composer, and if there is just $6.98. 76 STEREO REVIEW.
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