Customer Reviews

Forces In Motion: The Music And Thoughts Of Anthony Braxton (Da Capo Paperback)

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This book recounts a 1985 tour of England by Anthony Braxton's classic quartet (besides Braxton on the reeds, the quartet featured Marilyn Crispell on the piano, Mark Dresser on the bass and Gerry Hemingway on drums). The author, Graham Lock, accompanied the quartet on their tour. The book includes transcriptions of ten or so interviews Lock did with Braxton as well as with the other members of the group. These are connected with concert reviews, stories of the tour and essays on Braxton's ideas on musical languages, systems of notations, etc. This is not a scholarly book. It is an enjoyable read that serves as an excellent introduction to the work and thought of one of the few musical geniuses that resides on the planet.
Braxton holds forth on every aspect of his music (from his innovative solo work to his compositions for four orchestras or the notated composition for one hundred tubas!) as well as on his ethical, political and spiritual beliefs. Some of this stuff will seem pretty out there to most readers but what emerges is a portrait of the artist as a very thoughtful, passionate, and thoroughly engaging man. Braxton and his cohorts are very much worth knowing.
One side note- for those of you who are Braxton freaks (as am I) it is worth noting that three of the concerts from this tour have been released on the Leo record label. All three are available from Amazon for your multi-media listening pleasure. They are Birmingham(1985), Coventry (1985) and Quartet (1985). The latter should really be listed as London (1985). I recommend any of the three, especially the Coventry concert. This truly was one of the premier quartets of the eighties.

This is the place from which one should begin their studies of Braxton. Clear, concise, and very readable, it introduces many important concepts that will enable anyone interested in Braxton to develop a greater understanding of his musical universe.

Graham Lock is usually pretty successful in prying beneath Braxton's surface. The almost always very abstract discussions that are filled with Braxton's unique musical terminology and his (and sometimes Lock's) personal theoretical stances are surprisingly rewarding. Lock, try as he might, does not bring Braxton down to earth very often, yet even Braxton's elusiveness usually proves revealing. Lock is surprisingly engaging, and Braxton is eager to have his music understood, though he refuses to simplify it in ways that might detract from the breadth of his personal vision.

This book might be a treat to music scholars, and takes an effort on the part of an ordinary reader. However, I think the beauty here is that it sheds an enormous amount of light on how the composer and musician shapes his reality and comes to transcend mundane experience through constantly evolving personal expression. These interviews speak as much to the spirit as to the mind.

These albums were recorded during the time of the interviews in this book:

Quartet (London) 1985
Birmingham 1985
(Coventry) 1985

Locke has managed to overcome a lingering "Braxton-worshipping" hang up and create a livid piece of "jazz" literature.We in Taranaki look foward to the next,or for that matter, any works of post-structural-vibrational-dynamic literature.