Anthony Braxton 12+1tet and The Sonic Genome in Vancouver

Photo of 12+1 tet courtesy of Scott Friedlander Anthony Braxton has a singular and unique musical vision. Braxton’s resume is enough to give mere mortals an inferiority complex. Braxton was an early member of the AACM along with Muhal Richard Abrams and The Art Ensemble of Chicago. His body of compositions is massive with music for his own groups, piano music, operas, a piece for four orchestras performing simultaneously, a piece for 100 tubas (finally recorded in 2006) and complex generative and improvisational systems. He plays the piano and the full range of woodwind instruments including the flute, the sopranino, soprano, C-Melody, F alto, E-flat alto, baritone, bass, and contrabass saxophones and the E-flat, B-flat, bass and contrabass clarinets. He has been enormously influential as a musician in exploring solo instrumental performance notably starting with the landmark 1968 double album recording For Alto. He has written a 3 volume 1600-page treatise (Tri-Axium Writings) on his musical philosophy and compositional techniques. Besides his own groups, he has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians including Max Roach, Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, Cecil Taylor, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, George Lewis, Derek Bailey, Mal Waldron and noise-metal experimental rockers Wolf Eyes. He was once a professional chess player. A deluxe 8-cd box set of his 1970s-era Arista Recordings was a surprise hit for Mosaic Records in 2009. He was a 1994 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship “Genius” Grant. He has outlined plans for his music to be played simultaneously in different theatres, in different cities and on different planets! For the last 20 years he has been a faculty member in the Music Department at Wesleyan University famous for its experimental music inaugurated by a John Cage residency and its World Music program. In conjunction with his faculty position, he launched the Tri-Centric Foundation to develop a stable community of like-minded players and composers to share “the premise that musical principles inform and are informed by sociocultural and philosophical dynamics; and that music education and practice can be a vital force in learning to adapt to and positively influence today's rapidly changing world”. This stable community has produced his current working group, The Braxton 12+1tet, which will be performing at Christ Church Cathedral on Friday January 29th. In 2006, this group did a five night run at a New York club which resulted in the 10-disc (nine CDs and one DVD) set Nine Compositions (Iridium) 2006 released on Firehouse 12 Records. Braxton’s accomplishments could fill a book and they have. A number of books in fact with two notable ones – the first is Graham Lock’s 1988 Forces in Motion which combines a chronicle of a mid-80s tour by Braxton’s longest standing group (a quartet with Marilyn Crispell, Mark Dresser and Gerry Hemingway), conversations with Braxton, and an attempt to explain some of Braxton’s philosophies and methods including a brief outline of the Tri-Axium Writings. Braxton has been quoted as saying “This book should be required reading for anyone interested in my music.” Forces in Motion is a fascinating multi-faceted work which paints as complete a portrait of Braxton as is possible up to its date of publication in the late 1980s. But Braxton has been very busy both musically and philosophically in the intervening 20+ years and so an update is more than welcome. The second notable biography is the recent 2009 release by Canadian jazz journalist and musician Stuart Broomer called Time and Anthony Braxton. This latter book is principally organized around recurring themes that have influenced Braxton’s work (time, sonorities, composition systems, cardigan sweaters) and how they have manifested themselves in his various projects. For example, it discusses the evolution of Braxton’s Ghost Trance Music series originally inspired by a Wesleyan seminar on native American trance music but eventually expanded to absorb influences from Sufism, European and African trance music traditions. The Ghost Trance Music derives its trance-like qualities not from long tones like much ambient music but through a complex melodic language reinforced through repetition and pulse. But Braxton claims it that it also embraces influences from Bach and Richard Wagner. Like many complex systems (especially those originating with Braxton), attempting a simple description is inadequate – aspects of the system are revealed through a dialogue between Braxton and Broomer (The Ghost Trance Interview) which forms one of the book’s sections. Time and Anthony Braxton is so recent that it discusses Braxton’s upcoming performance in Vancouver of The Sonic Genome – a free 8 hour epic performance with an expanded group of about 50 musicians at the Roundhouse on Sunday January 31st. I participated in an extended conference call interview with Anthony Braxton last week courtesy of Coastal Jazz. Although his responses to all questions were detailed and occasionally bewildering (I was warned by one of his former students that he “speaks Braxton”), I was struck by his vitality, his confidence in his musical vision and his sense of humour. Far from being a dour serious music academic, he was quick to infectious laughter and held forth on a variety of topics from his suggestion that people need to go to Europe or Japan to understand American culture (“it’s not practiced here anymore”) to his love of football and marching bands (“today marching band music is more innovative than jazz … because of their use of space”). He also talked about sport and his recent interest in war game strategies for improvisation which seemed reminiscent of John Zorn’s game pieces. Braxton was asked about preparations for the Sonic Genome which was inspired by and named for the completion of the mapping of the human genome in 2003. The marathon Sonic Genome performance augments the 12+1tet with Vancouver-area musicians and students. Ensemble members Taylor Ho Bynum and James Fei will be arriving early to work with the local musicians in advance of the performance. The members of the 12+1tet being most familiar with the compositions will each lead sub-groups or cells in simultaneous performances. The bulk of the material to be performed is drawn from Braxton’s Ghost Trance Composition series which also forms the basis of the 12+1tet’s repertoire but the Sonic Genome will move through periodic (hourly) stages which will move through the space and evolve through compositions, interactions between musicians and interactions with the audience to form the sonic equivalent of a living organism. As he put it, “The sonic genome seeks to have a living organic holistic corporeal space.” Braxton spent some time outlining the stages (which he referred to as species) and which of his compositions were to be used in each stage as well as additional devices to achieve his desired effects. He made it clear that despite its length, this is not a blowing session, this is a highly structured musical event.The Sonic Genome has apparently been performed once before in 2003 without an audience; a recording of that performance is being prepared and if all goes well, it will be available at the Vancouver performances. When asked how an audience member should best experience the Sonic Genome, Braxton talked about how he would like the “friendly experiencer” to become aware that they are “in the house of music”, that they should be aware of differences in sonic density, differences in timbre, cellular effects, combinational effects, to move around and experience the special aspect of the music, have an active music experience. Listening to his descriptions and his professed admiration for marching bands, I was reminded of how Charles Ives was inspired to write parts of "St.-Gaudens" in Boston Common by hearing approaching and retreating marching bands in the square with their serendipitously syncopated rhythms and overlapping melodies. All in all, it promises to be a unique landmark performance conceived and actualized by one of the musical geniuses of our time. Anthony Braxton 12 +1 Tet Friday, January 29 @ 8 PM Christ Church Cathedral Anthony Braxton reeds/composition, Taylor Ho Bynum cornet/trumpet/flugelhorn/bass trumpet, Nicole Mitchell flutes, Andrew Raffo Dewar reeds, James Fei reeds, Steve Lehman saxophones, Sara Schoenbeck bassoon, Jessica Pavone violin/alto viola, Mary Halvorson electric guitar, Reut Regev trombone, Jay Rozen tuba, Carl Testa double bass/bass clarinet, Aaron Siegel drums/percussion/vibes. Further concert and ticket information at: http://www.coastaljazz.ca/concert/anthony_braxton_12_1_tet_0 Presented by Coastal Jazz & Blues Society in association with The Cultural Olympiad Anthony Braxton's Sonic Genome Project (World Premiere as a public performance) Sunday, January 31 @ Noon The performance runs continuously for approximately eight hours and features 50+ musicians including the 12 + 1 tet, members listed above. Roundhouse Community Centre Free admission Concert information at http://www.coastaljazz.ca/concert/anthony_braxtons_sonic_genome_project Presented by Coastal Jazz & Blues Society and the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in association with The Cultural Olympiad As an addendum, several of the members of the 12+1tet will be staying in Vancouver to participate in the Time Flies Improvised Music Festival. Time Flies 22nd Annual Improvised Music Festival Thursday, February 4th @ 8 PM Friday, February 5th @ 8 PM Saturday, February 6th @ 8 PM The Ironworks Torsten Müller bass, Mei Han zheng, Dylan van der Schyff drums, Sara Schoenbeck bassoon, Jessica Pavone violin/alto viola, Taylor Ho Bynum cornet/trumpet/flugelhorn/bass trumpet, Mary Halvorson electric guitar, Fred Lonberg-Holm cello Further concert and ticket information at: http://www.coastaljazz.ca/concert/time_flies_22nd_annual_improvised_music_festival Presented by Coastal Jazz & Blues Society in association with The Cultural Olympiad Time and Anthony Braxton by Stuart Broomer Published by The Mercury Press, Toronto 2009

JOEY DEFRANCESCO RECORDING AT THE CELLAR!

On January 8th to 10th, the baddest b3 burner in the business JOEY DEFRANCESCO will grace the Cellar stage as a guest of The Cory Weeds Quartet to record Weeds' third album as a leader. Rounding out the band will be Joey D's long time drummer BYRON LANDHAM and Vancovuer trumpeter CHRIS DAVIS. This recording will be a stellar followup to EVERYTHING'S COMING UP WEEDS that graced the JAZZ WEEK CHARTS for 19 weeks making it as high as #6. "Snapshot," Joey's latest featuring his original trio of Paul Bollenback and Byron Landham, manages to look both ahead and back — back 15 years to the trio's roots — and ahead to musical triumphs to come. At the same time, the live recording is very much "of the moment" and captures a true snapshot of these great musicians, in the heat of the creative process and preserves it in the ones and zeros of this CD. Joey DeFrancesco has come a long way from "All of Me," his recording debut as a leader made in 1989 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old. From the get-go, the Philadelphia native established his credentials with virtuoso technique and an innate soulfulness that he developed under the tutelage of his father, Papa John DeFrancesco, a B-3 burner in his own right. Combining monstrous chops with a flair for showmanship and an unquenchable urge to burn, DeFrancesco almost single-handedly put the B-3 back in the public eye. Today DeFrancesco is regarded by organ aficionados as the baddest B-3 burner in the business, a claim supported by his seven consecutive DownBeat Critics Polls. TICKETS ARE $69 including the show and a three course meal. A LIMITED NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED TICKETS HAVE BEEN MADE AVAILABLE for STUDENTS AND MUSICIANS. Please email reservations@cellarjazz.com for details. You can also call 604.738.1959.

Special Christmas Eve Jazz Vespers concert at St. Andrew’s-Wesley

On Christmas Eve three of the finest women vocalists in the lower Mainland will present a special Jazz Vespers concert at St. Andrew’s-Wesley. Karin Plato, Jennifer Scott, and Kate Hammett-Vaughan will offer their gift to the city--an hour of holiday treats ranging from traditional carols to popular tunes, each song especially arranged to blend perfectly the voices of this dynamic trio. Each woman is a star in her own right, and this is the only time of the year when you’ll be able to hear them together. There’s no admission charge but the offering will benefit Covenant House which exists for young people aged 16-24 who often have no one else. Most have fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or have been forced from their homes. Covenant House bandages their feet cut up from days and nights walking the streets; gives them hot food and a warm bed; and supports them in their choice to change their circumstances while helping them heal from past traumas. Consider this scenario: a young woman, pregnant, terrified by the big city, wandering the streets with no place to lay her head. Sound familiar this Christmastime? This is your chance to enjoy some terrific music and support an organization which helps youngsters exactly like her. St. Andrew’s-Wesley where Jazz meets the Spirit. Burrard/Nelson Streets Thursday, December 24 - 4 pm Free admission, free parking. http://www.standrewswesleychurch.bc.ca

Bill Smith's 1976 interview with George Lewis

In anticipation of George Lewis' return visit to Vancouver in January, Bill Smith has added his 1976 CODA interview with Lewis (Lewis' first major interview) to his ongoing series of online reissues of historic conversations with seminal improvisers. It includes a foreword newly written for the occasion by Lewis. Read it here. Post comments in the Jazz Forum

Hear It NOW 2009: L.E.D. by the Light

After decades at the heart of Vancouver's creative music scene, the NOW Orchestra continues to evolve - this year transforming into Orkestra Futura to be launched this week in a special global performance, anchored at the newly refurbished Vancouver East Cultural Centre. This Saturday November 28, Orkestra Futura (formerly the NOW Orchestra) performs the Mad Scientist Machine, a major new work by composer Stefan Smulovitz. The Mad Scientist Machine is built around a software program of Smulovitz's creation that enables conductors from around the world to collaborate with live musicians performing in Vancouver. The Machine converts the conductors’ ideas into specifically coloured LED lights, which are then used as cues for musicians in Orkestra Futura to follow. Each color has a different meaning: red - melody, orange - imitate, yellow - open, green - noise, blue - drops, purple - loops, white - long tones, and black - silence. From the description, it sounds like a technologically-enhanced cross between a John Zorn game piece and a Butch Morris conduction. With four remote conductors - Pauline Oliveros (Oslo), Lisle Ellis (New York), John Oswald (Toronto), Paul Cram (Halifax) – and Stefan Smulovitz in Vancouver, the improv machine allows them to layer sounds using different cues. “What you are doing, and what we were all witnessing, is a very important step toward the future of how we will communicate our individual and collective artistic visions on a global scale. I felt like I was assisting Marconi on his first transatlantic radio signal” - conductor Lisle Ellis on an experimental run of the Machine. The concert will also include improvised conductions and new work by Coat Cooke. Video artist Krista Lomax will provide live video mixing. Orkestra Futura is a musician ensemble that includes strings, voices, horns, percussion and electronics under the direction of Coat Cooke. The ensemble includes: Vocals: Viviane Houle, DB Boyko, Peter Hurst; Strings: Jesse Zubot, Dave Chokroun, Tommy Babin, Chad MacQuarrie; Percussion: Joseph Pepe Danza, Kenton Loewen; Horns: JP Carter, Brad Muirhead, Coat Cooke; Electronics: Stefan Smulovitz Keyboards: Chris Gestrin For this concert, the ensemble will feature two very special out-of-town guests: Toronto vocalist Christine Duncan and American violist Eyvind Kang. This show has been two years in the planning and promises to be unique and absolutely stunning. Hear It NOW generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the City of Vancouver and The Vancouver Foundation. Hear It NOW 2009: L.E.D. by the Light Saturday, November 28 at 8pm The Historic Theatre at the Cultch - 1895 Venables Street (at Victoria Drive) Tickets: $25 (regular) / $20 (members) / $8 (students) More Information: Call Allyson McGrane at 604.873.6373 extension 112 or visit www.noworchestra.com

Duke Ellington's Sacred Music

In his autobiography Music Is My Mistress speaking about his Concert of Sacred Music Duke Ellington stated "I regard this concert as the most important thing that I have ever done." From the date of the first performance in September of 1965, Duke Ellington traveled the world performing what eventually became three Sacred Concerts but to date, there has never been a performance of Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music in Western Canada. This coming Friday November 20th, that is about to be rectified. A very special gathering of forces and talents will converge to present Duke Ellington's Sacred Music in a fitting benefit for the work of The First United Church. Arranger, bandleader and Ducal scholar Fred Stride has previously presented major Ellington works such as Black, Brown and Beige and Such Suite Thunder. This time The Fred Stride Jazz Orchestra joins forces with outstanding vocalists Dee Daniels and James Caddell, the Phoenix Chamber Choir and dancer Troy McLaughlin to present an evening of Sacred Music drawn principally from the First and Second Sacred Concerts. Since 1989, the lucky people of Seattle have had regular presentations of the Sacred Music of Duke Ellington courtesy of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. In recent years, the featured vocal soloists for many of those performances have been Dee Daniels and James Caddell so they've been living and breathing this music for some time. How much so can be predicted from their performances on a fabulous recording of The Sacred Music of Duke Ellington preserved from a number of concerts by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra and released on Seattle's own Origin Records. (With any luck, there may be some for sale at the concert.) The fact that this music had never been heard live in Vancouver bothered Dee Daniels and as a result of a chance comment from the stage at a (then) Festival Vancouver performance of the music of Duke Ellington, the wheels started to turn. As she has said, "It has been my dream to bring this great music to Vancouver for a very long time. Thanks to the talents of Fred Stride, my musical partner in this venture, the help of a group of extremely talented musicians and performers, along with co-presenters Coastal Jazz and First United Church, this dream will finally come true." Those familiar with the Sacred Concerts know that an important part of the performance is the figurative and literal tap-dancing in several of the pieces as arranged for this concert by Troy McLaughlin. And of course, the proceeds of the concert are for the benefit of the good work of the First United Church you can enjoy the performance and feel good about doing something for the less fortunate at the same time! The program here in Vancouver is drawn principally from the First and Second Sacred Concerts and includes: In The Beginning God, The Shepherd, Ain’t But The One, Heaven, Don’t Get Down On Your Knees To Pray, David Danced Before The Lord, It’s Freedom, The Biggest and Busiest Intersection, Tell Me It’s The Truth, Lord’s Prayer, Ninety-Nine Percent, Come Sunday, and Praise God And Dance. The Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Fred Stride includes: Saxophones: Jens Christiansen (lead alto saxophone/clarinet), Aaron Hardie (alto saxophone/clarinet), Bill Runge (tenor saxophone), Steve Kaldestad (tenor saxophone) & Chad Makela (baritone saxophone) Trumpets: Kent Wallace (lead), Vince Mai, Brad Turner, Tom Shorthouse Trombones: Dennis Esson (lead), Rod Murray, Jeremy Berkman Piano: Ross Taggart Bass: Andre Lachance Drums: Bernie Arai As Duke Ellington said, "Each man prays in his own language and there is no language that God does not understand." Presented this Friday November 20th 8 PM at St. Andrew's Wesley Church More information at Coastal Jazz & Blues Society and The First United Church.

James Danderfer interview

Vancouver clarinetist James Danderfer left for Montreal about a week ago to participate in McGill's Jazz Studies Program. Guy MacPherson interviewed Danderfer a few days before his departure. James Danderfer interview Post comments in the Jazz Forum