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Per
· May 22, 2024
The first thing a person notices Endless love, endless tears— the latest album from jazz alto saxophonist/flutist/composer Alan Braufman — is that it’s rich in melody and harmony. Even better: they’re hummable tunes full of sound (the playful and aptly titled “Chasing a Melody”) and consonant, seductive harmonies (the intoxicating “Edge of Time”), and they’re built on a powerful momentum. and other infectious grooves (the slapping funk of “Spirits”). That’s certainly not most people’s idea of a free jazz album. But then, Braufman reminds us, free jazz is not should have conform to someone’s idea of what it should sound like. That’s the whole point.
“What is free jazz? It is a deep question,” he says. “I think free music should be about doing what you want. It’s like asking, ‘What is non-conformism?'”
It’s certainly hard to dispute Braufman’s free jazz credentials. The native Brooklynite was one of the pillars of the New York “loft jazz” scene in the 1970s, perhaps the peak of the influence and visibility of the avant-garde in the world of jazz. Braufman was one of the owners (along with saxophonist David S. Ware and pianist Cooper-Moore) of the original 501 Canal Street loft, where he recorded his debut album, Valley of seekingin 1975.
Although he spent much of the next 40 years outside of New York, touring with the likes of Carla Bley, the Psychedelic Furs and Philip Glass, he experienced a creative upswing in recent years. Recent collaborators include tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, clarinetist/vocalist Angelo Bat Dawid, and vibraphonist Patricia Brennan (who plays on Endless love, endless tears). If anyone alive knows what free jazz is, it’s Braufman.
He distinguishes between free and “free”, the latter being the public’s perception of music. “Too often ‘Free’ jazz is only associated with screaming,” he says. “But if I feel like I’m playing a song that’s not ‘free’, shouldn’t free jazz mean that I’m free? It’s the album I wanted to make. There’s not a lot of screaming on it, but harmonically and shape-wise it’s pretty free.”
On the occasion of the release in May Endless love, endless tears, we asked Braufman to use his ear for free (which is sometimes “free”) in the Bandcamp library and pick some of his favorites. Here is the music that has been in his ears recently.
David S. Ware
“Prayer“
This tune is the soundtrack of a certain period in Braufman’s life. “Me, David Ware and Gene Ashton – who is now known as Cooper-Moore – we all moved into this building in 1973, 501 Canal Street, which was in what is now Tribeca,” he says. “We did the whole “free” thing, we just got together and blew the roof off. But then David started writing and I thought the song ‘Prayer’ was one of the first he wrote. This band, Apogee (with Ware, Cooper-Moore and drummer Marc Edwards) was born on Canal 501 and I heard them play this tune all the time. David was just a wonderful writer and a wonderful player.”
Immanuel Wilkins
“Free blues“
“This song shows you where freestyle can go,” says Braufman, “because there’s no melody in it. It’s just free improvisation from the start and the flow of ideas just doesn’t stop until he decides to stop. When free improvisation is in the hands of such a master, it is a pleasure to listen. And as a saxophone player, Immanuel Wilkins checks everything: beautiful tone, flawless technique, so creative ideas, excellent composition. He has everything he needs: a great musician.”
Rob Brown
Oblong
“(Alto saxophonist and flautist) Rob Brown is someone people need to hear,” Braufman says. “He is such a good player! Every time I listen to it, I go crazy. I’m a tone person; if I don’t like someone’s sound, I don’t want to listen to the notes they play, but if I like someone’s sound, I can come play a major scale and I’ll listen to it because of the tone. Rob has a beautiful tone, still Oblong he brings it together with great ideas and intensity.”
Bobby Zankel and Wonderful Sound
Change of destiny
“I’ve known Bobby since the early days of 501 Canal Street in the early ’70s, and again, I don’t think he’s as well known as he should be,” says Braufman. “This album is so ambitious, man. There are so many ambitious lyrics, mixed with beautiful solos. One of the interesting things is that Bobby is on alto sax and Jaleel Shaw is also on alto, but even with two violas, they are so different sounds, that you can see who is playing what and when.”
Steve Lyman
Spiral
“Steve is a good friend of mine, and this is such an unusual album that I was completely impressed with,” says Braufman. “I’m not a big fan of drum solos; That said, this album is almost a 50-minute drum solo and is one of my favorite records I’ve heard in a while. Every song on it is completely different from the previous one. He’s so diverse and so creative in what he does with such a minimal environment.”
Patricia Brennan
Maquishti
For Braufman, Maquishti falls into the same bucket as Spiral. “It’s a solo vibraphone for the whole album,” he says. “But Patricia is so diverse. And I keep thinking as I listen to this that it sounds very cinematic, very visual in the style of a beautiful film score. The atmosphere it creates is wonderful. But she’s also incredibly versatile. Listen to the sextet he has now: It’s nothing like this album, it’s hard jazz. She is a very special musician, a very natural talent.”
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