Alan Braufman

Adding a hefty chapter to the discontinuous discography of saxophonist/flutist Alan Braufman is this two-CD set recorded for radio in 1975 just when his first Free Jazz LP was being issued. More than New Thing nostalgia – though some of the rhythms and expositions are very much of their time – the set showcases in-the-moment improvising by a sextet and marks the first recorded meeting between bassist William Parker and multi-instrumentalist Cooper-Moore.

Both would go on to be two of the pillars of New York’s Free Jazz/Free Music community that has maintained its inventiveness to this day. Braufman made a large detour into commercial music, but returned to free sounds in the late aughts. French hornist John Clark, who since that time has performed with numerous Jazz, pop and notated ensembles was only peripherally a Energy Music type, whereas drummer Jim Schapperoew is a respected journeyman, who has played all forms of Jazz. Percussionist Ralph Williams seems to have vanished

Throughout the 18 tracks, divided into two sets, the ensemble boomerangs between wailing gonzo textures which connect to what was called Ecstatic improvising and highly spiritual and differently metered chant-like expositions with links to Eastern sounds. The later would eventually harden into so-called World Music or worse New Age somnolence. But 47 years ago the sextet was able to emphasize both streams without following victim to either trend.

Braufman meets the challenge by mostly dividing the concepts between his horns. His alto saxophone playing moves through hard snarls, expressive scoops and high-pitched trills and multiphonics. On flute his tone is light and wavering, mostly melodic, but able to add extra oomph when evolving in double counterpoint with hearty strokes from Parker or Cooper-Moore. Still when the disposition is there, as on “Thankfulness”, his intersectional slurs and intense glissandi create a line both processional and devotional.

Cooper-Moore has a similar dual identity. On piano, especially on tracks such as “Little Nabil’s March” and the concluding “Sunrise” he roams all over the keys, pedals and strings. His powerful comping and stop-start key clipping help to define and personalize the first track, while his communicative tone swaying and sweeps on the second join in double counterpoint with saxophone slurs and flattement to expose emotional pull coupled with intense vibrations on “Sunrise”. Some of those vibrations come from Parker and his slippery and strong accompaniment is as percussively cohesive as that from the percussionists. Cooper-Moore’s other identity appears what he switches to the ashimba, an 11-note xylophone made from discarded wood, he designed and built. Foreshadowing his later experiments with a variety of self-constructed instruments, the weighted pops and echoes created by the ashimba echo kalimba or darbuka textures. But although the consistently shifting rhythms may suggest Africa or the Middle East, realized refrains are also reminiscent of primitive American spirituals and work songs.

Other instances that stand out include Parker’s ability to emphasize string slams and stops, but while accompanying others, never bringing attention to himself. Affirming the horn’s agility, Clark divides his parts between the sliding speed of a trombonist and the weighty stresses of a tubiast. The latter motif is used sparingly, but throughout distinctive brightness is on show, on tracks such as “Bright Evenings” and others where Braufman’s widening multiphonic emphasis is accompanied and regulated by rugged brass obbligatos.

Some instance like a recitation and mystical sonic asides are too wedded to 1975 to impress in 2022. But most of the sounds easily meet the test of time. Especially impressive is the first set ending, connected “Love Is for Real” and “Forshadow.” Bouncy and responsive, driven by near honky-tonk piano patterning and strident counterpoint from both horns, the exposition stretches into the second track with French horn honks and screaming reed split tones. As piano slides and soundboard emphasis, pistol-shot like percussion bangs and accented double bass slaps add to the narrative, it reaches a polyphonic climax.

It may have waited nearly a half-century to be released but Braufman and the others demonstrate their heigh level of contemporary creativity on this set.

—Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Announcements 2. Rainbow Warriors 3. Ark of Salvation 4. Little Nabil’s March 5. Destiny 6. Ashimba 7. Chant 8. Thankfulness 9. Love Is for Real 10. Forshadow 11. Announcements 2 Disc 2: 12. Emancipation 13. Tree of Life 14. Bright Evenings 15. The Muse 16. A Tear and a Smile 17. O Nosso Amor 8. Sunrise

Personnel: John Clark (French horn); Alan Braufman (alto saxophone, flute); Cooper-Moore (piano, ashimba, recitation); William Parker (bass); Jim Schapperoew (drums) and Ralph Williams (percussion)