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
Even the Sounds Shine cover

Even the Sounds Shine

Myra Melford Extended Ensemble
Treasure Island cover

Treasure Island

Keith Jarrett
In Common 2 cover

In Common 2

Micah Thomas, Matthew Stevens, Linda May Han Oh, Walter Smith III
Asleep on the Floodplain cover

Asleep on the Floodplain

Six Organs of Admittance
Kulma cover

Kulma

Pan Sonic
Solo + Trio Roma cover

Solo + Trio Roma

Peter Brötzmann
You’ve Been Watching Me cover

You’ve Been Watching Me

Tim Berne's Snakeoil
Live at the East cover

Live at the East

Pharoah Sanders
Trio Jeepy cover

Trio Jeepy

Branford Marsalis
Uneasy cover

Uneasy

Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer, Linda Oh
Ascension cover

Ascension

John Coltrane