Anthony Braxton - Bx-0 No-47A

2025

A deluxe edition celebrating visionary composer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton's 80th birthday. The definitive remastered edition of his second studio album, restored and mastered from the original tapes. Presented in a deluxe gatefold digi-sleeve that reflects the aesthetics of the original LP, complete with a printed inner wallet and a 16-page booklet featuring exclusive notes by author and jazz specialist Kevin Le Gendre.

The birth of the Association for The Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in Chicago was a significant cultural event at the tail end of the 60s. As the name suggests it was a grouping of artists who prioritized originality, and saxophonist-composer Anthony Braxton was one of the most significant individuals in it's ranks. For the subsequent 50 years he would prove daringly adventurous in his concepts and performances, and B-X0 NO-47A remains a classic title in his vast discography.

The album saw him lead a group that included fellow AACM members, trumpeter Leo Smith (before he took the name Wadada), drummer Steve McCall and violinist Leroy Jenkins, yet there was such a wide array of instruments used on the session that the small group had a big sound. Anything from chimes and logs to harmonica and darbuka, as well as the intriguingly named 'sound machine', enabled the quartet to fashion a singular textural palette. Anthony Braxton and his colleagues were set to become pivotal figures in the avant-garde or 'New thing' movement that had broken with the prevailing conventions of the jazz industry. This definitive remastered version of the album provides an opportunity to enjoy the unique nature of Braxton's vision as never heard as well as the priceless chemistry between him, Smith, Jenkins and McCall. They made historic music which has stood the test of time.