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
Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3 cover

Composition/Improvisation Nos. 1, 2 & 3

Roscoe Mitchell, Transatlantic Art Ensemble
Which Way Is East cover

Which Way Is East

Billy Higgins, Charles Lloyd
Real Deal cover

Real Deal

David Murray, Milford Graves
Reflectativity cover

Reflectativity

Wadada Leo Smith
Pathways & Passages cover

Pathways & Passages

Cosmic Vibrations, Dwight Trible
Codona cover

Codona

Collin Walcott, Codona, Naná Vasconcelos, Don Cherry
Thoughts cover

Thoughts

Bill Dixon
Nipples cover

Nipples

Peter Brötzmann
Old and New Dreams cover

Old and New Dreams

Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, Dewey Redman, Don Cherry