Review Summary: Braxton pulls it all together with arguably his best line-ups
The Montreux/Berlin Concerts features performances from two different European festivals in 1975 and 1976. The recordings are mostly from two similar quartets with Dave Holland, Barry Altschul, and either Kenny Wheeler or George Lewis, plus one side-long recording with The Berlin New Music Group. In many ways this is a culmination of many things Braxton was doing through the 1970's, not so much trying out new methods here (with the exception of the orchestral track with The Berlin New Music Group) as much as delivering something with techniques he (and his bands) had already perfected.
There is definitely a sense of connection to traditional jazz throughout; often a bouncing, free-wheeling, syncopated beat as if from an old Fats Waller tune will be unmistakable, yet the speed and density of it all is unlike anything from Waller’s era. The intervals, squeaks and new performance techniques also push this well beyond just the tradition. It inserts, modifies, expands, deconstructs, and borrows from the tradition at will, but never feels constrained by it. It's the much talked-about but less frequently achieved notion of playing “inside” and “outside” at the same time. This is an album by an artist who has developed techniques that allow a unique voice to emerge beyond and in spite of those techniques.
One of Braxton’s finest releases, everyone in each of his groups featured here is in dynamite form and willing to stretch on every performance, which removes the possibility of the compositions sounding merely academic. The improvisation is fresh and inspired across the whole album, and never drifts into mediocrity or convenience.
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Attribution: https://rateyourmusic.com/music-review/dakotadsmith/anthony-braxton/the-montreux-berlin-concerts/131484360
