Quartet (Victoriaville) 1992

This is a live performance of Braxton's classic quartet of the '80s and '90s at the annual festival of new music held in Victoriaville, Canada. Unlike many of the other documented recordings of this group, the material, with the exception of the closing track, consisted entirely of (at the time) recently composed pieces. Since much of Braxton's writing in the early '90s involved the exploration of very fluid and expansive sound territories, there are none of his infectious, bop-derived numbers or any plaintively emotional ballads. Instead we have a series of fairly knotty compositions where the thematic elements are elusive, recurring melodies rare and regular meter almost non-existent. All of which makes for one of the more challenging recordings by this quartet, requiring of the listener an approach perhaps more suited to contemporary classical music than to jazz. In fact, in the excellent and detailed liner notes/interview by John Corbett, Braxton makes reference to his concept of "navigating through form" and to the music and graphic scores of the composer Earle Brown. One is advised, therefore, not to listen for the standard (even as that term applies to Braxton's music) theme/solos/theme format here; rather, one listens to the musicians, alone or in groups, investigating the rich, strange soundscape structure in which they find themselves immersed. Even so, there's a feeling of pent up energy waiting to be unleashed so when the band vaults into a raging version of Coltrane's "Impressions" as an encore, it's hardly surprising. Indeed, one detects a very human sense of relief as they step back into familiar territory.