Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994

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Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994
Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994.jpg
Live album by Anthony Braxton
Released 1999
Recorded November 18, 1994
Venue Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
Genre Jazz
Length57:12
Label Splasc(H)
CDH 801.2
Producer Giorgio Mortarino
Anthony Braxton chronology
Knitting Factory (Piano/Quartet) 1994, Vol. 2
(1994) Knitting Factory (Piano/Quartet) 1994, Vol. 21994		Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994
(1994)		 Composition No. 173
(1994) Composition No. 1731994

Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994 is a live album by composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton with a rotating group of musicians forming trios, a duo and sextet, recorded at Wesleyan University in 1994 and released on the Italian Splasc(H) label. [1] [2] [3]

Anthony Braxton American musician, composer, and philosopher

Anthony Braxton is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who is known in the genre of free jazz.

Wesleyan University private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831, Wesleyan is a baccalaureate college that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and sciences, grants research master's degrees in many academic disciplines, and grants PhD degrees in biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, molecular biology and biochemistry, music, and physics.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
All About Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

The Allmusic review by Steve Loewy stated "this CD fills an important gap in the work of Braxton by focusing on his non-quartet work of the mid-90s. Actually taken from a single concert of duo, trio, and quartet performances, the compositions are characteristically complex, though absorbingly and fascinatingly so. While the level of his classic quartet recordings is hard to beat, these small groups give a different view of the composer/performer – one laced with abstraction and densely layered harmonies". [4] On All About Jazz Glenn Astarita noted "Throughout, the musicians spew forth-fascinating themes that often convey a sense of fragility or innocence yet with Braxton, we tend to gaze in wonderment at the end results". [5]

<i>All About Jazz</i> comprehensive American website for jazz enthusiasts and professionals, based in Philadelphia

All About Jazz is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, Jazz Near You, about local concerts and events.

Track listing

All compositions by Anthony Braxton.

  1. "Trio Improvisation" – 8:53
  2. "Composition N° 107" – 20:24
  3. "Duo Improvisation" – 6:42
  4. "Three Compositions for Sextet: Composition N° 44 (108D+96)+168/Composition N° 136/Composition N° 43 +(96)+168" – 21:23

Personnel

Sopranino saxophone musical instrument

The sopranino saxophone is one of the smallest members of the saxophone family. It is tuned in the key of E♭, and sounds an octave higher than the alto saxophone. The sopranino saxophone has a sweet sound and although it is one of the least common of the saxophones in regular use today, it is still being produced by several of the major musical manufacturing companies. Due to their small size, sopraninos are not usually curved like other saxophones. Orsi, however, does make curved sopranino saxophones.

Soprano saxophone the third smallest member of the saxophone family

The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass saxophone and tubax. Soprano saxophones are the smallest saxophone in common use.

Alto saxophone type of saxophone

The alto saxophone, also referred to as the alto sax, is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, and patented in 1846. It is pitched in E♭, and is smaller than the tenor, but larger than the soprano. The alto sax is the most common saxophone and is commonly used in concert bands, chamber music, solo repertoire, military bands, marching bands, and jazz. The fingerings of the different saxophones are all the same so a saxophone player can play any type of saxophone.

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References

  1. ↑ Anthony Braxton discography accessed June 13, 2017
  2. ↑ Enciclopedia del Jazz: Anthony Braxton accessed June 13, 2017
  3. ↑ World Series Splasc(H) Records Catalog accessed June 13, 2017
  4. 1 2 Loewy, Steve. Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994 – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Astarita, G. All About Jazz Review accessed June 13, 2017
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