Quartet (Santa Cruz) 1993 cover

Quartet (Santa Cruz) 1993

Released

Braxton formed this quartet — with pianist Marilyn Crispell, bassist Mark Dresser, and percussionist Gerry Hemingway — in the mid ’80s; a UK tour was documented in Graham Lock’s Forces In Motion, one of the best books about a jazz musician ever written. Close to a decade later, the four were still making incredible music together, combining his complex but evocative compositions into 30- to 40-minute collages/medleys that’ll spin your head around but good. There’s nothing dry or intellectual about this music; it’s raucous and exultant, and Hemingway’s drums boom like depth charges.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Piano Song cover

Piano Song

Michael Bisio, Newman Talyor Baker, Matthew Shipp
Moving Cities cover

Moving Cities

Makaya McCraven, Antoine Berjeaut
Eye Contact cover

Eye Contact

Gang Gang Dance
Hear You Say cover

Hear You Say

Ray Anderson, Marty Ehrlich
Towards Language cover

Towards Language

Arve Henriksen
MARCHING MUSIC cover

MARCHING MUSIC

Dave Douglas
Sankofa cover

Sankofa

Amaro Freitas
Modo Avião cover

Modo Avião

Caixa Cubo Trio