Rabble Without A Cause
Wednesday December 10th, 2014 with Bernard Stepien
Anthony Braxton – Solo Willisau 2007

Anthony Braxton is entering his 5th decade as a composer, arranger and performer. Basically he is in the process of breaking Duke Ellington’s record and all this with a music that is at the other extreme of the music spectrum, i.e. Free Jazz. His double solo album from 1968 caused a sensation and represents the blast off of his prolific career. While Braxton tried out every possible and imaginable orchestral configuration from small combos to double symphony orchestras, his regular solo appearances are, in my view, the ultimate experience. Tonight we will feature him at the Willisau Jazz festival in 2007 where he performed a solo concert to 1500 person crowd where the titles of the pieces are not his usual organic chemistry formulas but instead just some color squiggles, indeed, the music itself sounds like squiggles. He once explained to me in Paris that his usual organic chemistry formulas represent the angularity of Be Bop. Yes, Be Bop! This Jazz style has always been central to Braxton’s art which has the effect to systematically swing Free Jazz where normally rhythmic freedom prevails. The iconic Be Bop tune All the Things you Are is among the set list…