Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace

Wadada Leo Smith & Anthony Braxton

Jazz Times

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and reedist Anthony Braxton haven't made an album together since the late '70s, so these duo recordings (their first), made in 2003 at Tonic in New York City, are indeed an event. Each musician has contributed two compositions to Organic Resonance, and Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace features two pieces by Smith and one by Braxton.

There is enormous variety of feeling and approach not just from track to track but within each performance, though describing these things is challenging. For instance, one could say that a great deal of Braxton's "Composition No. 315" (from Organic Resonance) unfolds as a series of apparently unrelated horn lines that are either very fast or very slow, but to write about how this feels completely different than passages in other pieces that could be described the same way is very difficult. Obviously the music is very modern, with Smith at the far end of his stylistic spectrum from his late Miles bag, though one can certainly trace the way uses space back to Davis, just as one can find all kinds of antecedents for Braxton, from Benny Carter to Lee Konitz to Eric Dolphy. Some of my favorite moments occur when the two horns converge unexpectedly for ensemble passages (around the 10:00 mark of "Composition No. 316" on Saturn, for example) that are more than a bit reminiscent of the great Bobby Bradford and John Carter duo recordings.

It's great to hear these two together again, bringing a whole generation's worth of additional experience to an association that always had a real magic to it. A must for listeners who enjoy the great musical outdoors.

One Final Note

A reunion between old friends doesn't necessarily mean magic, especially musical reunions. Sometimes one's growth might be stunted, directions may have diverged, or old demons can come back to haunt. On the other hand, reunions can also be a time for ruminations on the past, for charting shared growth, and essentially picking up from where you left off, with separate experiences and adventures informing new paths. This is one such blissful reunion.

While the exceptional trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and master reedist Anthony Braxton initially broke ground together in the late 60s as co-conspirators on a number of AACM-related adventures, their paths did not cross directly again, at least in public performance, for three decades. On April 15, 2003, an enchanting encounter between these two greats was recorded, displaying that despite their many separate expeditions, they were able to reconnect with a breathtaking symmetry. The first installment of Pi Recordings' two-volume sequence, Organic Resonance, offered listeners their initial glimpse, and now, Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace completes the picture.

Solo or duo horn settings can prove to be a tough sell—no anchor, no chords, just an intuitive interaction within a relatively limited timbral range. However, once Smith and Braxton play for several moments, the other instruments are hardly missed. As for the record itself, Smith and Braxton each share composer's credit for a track, while the final track is a collaborative venture (perhaps instantly composed?).

The program begins with a Braxton composition, "Composition No. 316", an almost 29-minute journey that typifies the partnership. At the outset, a template emerges that reappears over the course of the piece—Braxton swirls and quietly rumbles while Smith adds shavings of splendor, whether they are crisp, jagged bleats or extended, dynamically pulsing tones. During the piece's initial moments, it seems as if Braxton is attempting to tease out a familiar melodic line, hinting slightly at "All The Things You Are". The mix of unison lines and separate, but equal channels draw in one's interest, especially in the way that they are united in purpose, but easily avoid stepping all over one another. While the majority of the piece is reflective, it is hardly subdued. Braxton burns and pushes his gritty tone on his horns in the upper extremes, while Smith meets this challenge in his own way. Though lengthy, this is a satisfying expedition, especially during its muted conclusion.

Smith's "Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace", focuses on the duo's use of space and their interactive forces. Braxton's wide vibrato buzzes alongside Smith's extended notes. The parties dart amongst the musical labyrinth and, at the eight-minute mark, the pair is at their most passionate, as Braxton teems with energy. The piece concludes in a hymn-like fashion with intertwining contours highlighted by Smith's mutework. Finally, "Goshawk" features the hornmen initially focusing on the upper extremes, with Braxton on sopranino. However, after the initial duo sparks, Smith becomes the primary focal point, as the venture essentially becomes a solo excursion as the trumpeter pricks away at his horn's upper register.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, this is a reunion that is worth consuming—a testament to each participant's growth as an instrumentalist, strategist, and experimenter with both grace and passion.