Anthony Braxton: For John Cage

In the late 60s, Braxton aspired to create a solo language for saxophone akin to that of the piano. His controversial 1968 recordings (released on the unprecedented double album For Alto) document the effort; For John Cage testifies to its success. At first pass it may sound chaotic, but there is an internal logic to the self-contained system of the piece. Braxton sets a benchmark of intensity at the outsetthe ferocity of attack is immediately strikingthen deviates from it dramatically, generating structural tension. He manipulates basic musical elements to develop a vocabulary all his owndistorted sounds, jagged rhythmic shapes, an elastic sense of timeand the result is a triumph of creativity.