| Discography of Joe Fonda | 1995 |
 reissued by Clean Feed |
Lineup
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Recorded on August 11, 1995 at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut (USA).
Released 1996 by Konnex Records [KCD 5071] OOP
Reissue 2007 by Clean Feed [CF079]
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CD Reviews
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Duck Baker for Jazz Times Ishmael Reed once wrote that a book under review was not reader-friendly but that, as a writer, he thought the performance was excellent. My feelings for this release are similar. Braxton is a unique figure to say the least. His way of expanding things often has more affinity for Lennie Tristano than Coltrane or Dolphy (strong influences nonetheless), which has earned him some rather amazing vilification in the past. The more obvious fact that his sound is right out of Benny Carter has somehow escaped notice. I see Braxton as a major figure and everything he does has value. This record is not the best place to get to know him, but devotees will find a lot to like. There a moments of real communication with bassist Fonda, whose overall willingness to take a back seat is not a drawback but plain good sense. The thing that one warms to after a couple of listens is that the pacing and development of the original pieces is extremely convincing. I can't always follow what Braxton is putting together on the two standards, but then I have the same reaction to Tristano at times. Even here, the sheer mastery of the sax should make him required listening for aspirants. Source: CD Reviews section from the March 1997 issue of JazzTimes |
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Chris Kelsey for All Music Guide This is Anthony Braxton doing what he does best — playing and improvising on his own idiosyncratic small-group compositions, this time in duet with bassist Joe Fonda. The two also have a go at a pair of standards, which come off as well as one might expect — you either love or hate the way Braxton interprets traditional material — but they are heard to best advantage on the several originals written by each. Fonda's tunes are very much in a similar vein as Braxton's — unstable or nonexistent tonalities, odd-time or out-of-time rhythms, and lots of angular melodies. Braxton's control over his instruments seems a bit less certain than usual; consequently, the air of emotional vulnerability that's always characterized his playing seems more pronounced. Fonda is a fine free bassist, nicely responsive to Braxton's twists and turns. He also manages to play the saxophonist's difficult written lines reasonably well — no small feat in itself. The pieces are intensely conversational and very focused. This album is a small, rough-cut gem from the mine of available Braxton recordings. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All Media Guide, LLC and Chris Kelsey. All reviews written by Chris Kelsey:
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Rui Eduardo Paes Reedição do CD gravado pelo multi-instrumentista Anthony Braxton para a Konnex com um dos seus mais notáveis discípulos, Joe Fonda, “Duets 1995” é um bom exemplo da série de duos publicada em disco por esta figura de primeiro plano do jazz avançado. Se nessa série encontramos outras parcerias de Braxton com contrabaixistas, e designadamente com Mario Pavone e o falecido Peter Niklas Wilson, este título não é propriamente mais do mesmo. Até os fãs mais conservadores do jazz encontrarão aqui alguma coisa que os motive. Nas interpretações de dois preciosos “standards”, “All of You” de Cole Porter e “Autumn in New York” de Vernon Duke, é particularmente óbvia a admiração que Anthony Braxton tem por Paul Desmond. As composições e improvisações de Fonda e Braxton são “traiçoeiras” em termos de tonalidade e ritmo, mas seria injusto classificar este tipo de abordagem do idioma jazzístico como algo de cerebral. O que ouvimos tem uma tal dimensão humana e uma emotividade que qualquer liberdade tomada, qualquer solução mais estranha proposta, surge de forma natural no continuum da música afro-americana. “Ancient to the future” é, e com um bom nível de comunicabilidade entre os dois participantes e destes para connosco. Como Joe Fonda já teve oportunidade de dizer, “vivemos num tempo de evolução”, e nada é possível retirar a esse continuum: “Para mim não há separação possível entre Bill Evans e Cecil Taylor ou entre Sun Ra e Charlie Parker.” Todos eles comunicavam de modos diversos e as suas mensagens foram entendidas. Esta colecção de temas de Braxton e Fonda é igualmente acessível. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 Rui Eduardo Paes. All reviews written by Rui Eduardo Paes:
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June 03, 2007, by Troy Collins for All About Jazz Originally released as 10 Compositions (Duets) 1995 on the Konnex label, this reissue is one of a series of duets with bass players recorded by multi-instrumentalist / composer Anthony Braxton in the early 1990s. Preceded by 8 Duets, Hamburg 1991 (Music & Arts), with the late Peter Niklas Wilson, and Duets 1993 (Music & Arts), with Mario Pavone, Braxton and bassist Joe Fonda follow a similar format on this intimate session. Like Braxton's previous album with Pavone, Duets 1995 contains a selection of originals by both participants, as well as a pair of standards. Cole Porter's "All of You" and Vernon Duke's "Autumn In New York" are adventurous but respectful readings of classic American songbook tunes, a marked contrast to Braxton's own knotty compositions. Fonda's pieces blend turbulent angularity with lurching swing and dramatic pacing; a perfect complement to Braxton's esoteric writing. Braxton's contributions, all drawn from his 100 series, are taut, jagged and rhythmically daunting; Fonda's adaptability to this material is itself an accomplishment. Pre-dating his droning Ghost Trance series, these invigorating compositions are comparatively brief. Each piece investigates a different musical scenario; "Composition No. 168(+147)" blends pregnant silences with sudden, frenetic interjections. "Composition No. 173" is punchy and linear, while "Composition No. 136" explores variations in pitch, from sub-harmonic bass rumblings to soaring harmonics. Demonstrating restraint and reverence for tradition on the two standards, Braxton's often cited debt to Paul Desmond and Lee Konitz is apparent. His breathy flutter-tongue alto phrasing, always propulsive but never overbearing, is regally accompanied by Fonda. On this meeting Braxton and Fonda share ample space. Each comments on the tunes in tandem without dominating the roiling, circuitous interplay. A brilliant program addressing all aspects of the jazz tradition, Duets 1995 is a solid representation of Braxton's all-encompassing aesthetic and a wonderful introduction to an enigmatic and often misunderstood genius. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 All About Jazz and Troy Collins. All reviews written by Troy Collins:
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June 30, 2007, by Clifford Allen for All About Jazz Reedman Anthony Braxton and bassist Joe Fonda have been improvising partners since the 1980s, and Fonda's prodigious technique and rock-solid time have anchored Braxton's recordings of standards, among other projects. Duets 1995 reissues a long-unavailable session originally cut for the Konnex label, featuring three compositions each by Braxton and Fonda, as well as chestnuts "All Of You" and "Autumn In New York." Braxton is no stranger to the format, having recorded duets with bassists Dave Holland and Mario Pavone (also a Braxton regular, he and Fonda shared duties in New Haven's CMIF collective). Though Braxton is a composer, and one who is able to extrapolate well beyond the capabilities of his own arsenal, a pared-down setting such as Duets 1995 puts him squarely in the realm of an improvisatory role — a player. "All Of You" recalls the duet with Holland on Five Pieces 1975's "You Stepped Out Of A Dream," alto building into cascades of staccato droplets over Fonda's outlining thrum. Rather than the unbridled facility that characterizes such youthful performances as "Donna Lee" (on the America LP of the same name) Braxton is measured in his approach, using filled spaces as a device rather than the complete motive for a solo. There's certainly fire and energy, but in concert with Fonda, there's a relentless swing aligning his playing with Dolphy and Lee Konitz. It's true Braxton may hear a tune in quintuple-time, but he's able to match it with the meaty real-time impulses of wood and string. It's a rare instance that allows one to hear such unfettered flow of ideas, in the sense that one can hear Braxton's improvisational mind at work — not that he's by any means predictable, and his rapid-fire assemblage of phrases in keeping with a tune's structure is a hearty challenge for any sparring partner, Fonda's steady physicality excellently matching Braxton's extraordinary vocabulary. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 All About Jazz and Clifford Allen. |
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August 9, 2007 by Guillaume "Grisli" Belhomme for Le son du grisli (France) Disque sorti à l'origine sur Konnex Records, Duets reparaît aujourd'hui sur le label Clean Feed pour donner à réentendre Anthony Braxton dialoguer avec un autre improvisateur de taille: le contrebassiste Joe Fonda. Mesurant d'abord leurs attaques sur All of You de Cole Porter, Braxton et Fonda investissent ensuite des compositions sophistiquées sur lesquelles alto puis clarinette basse rebondissent sur les constructions à étages de la contrebasse (Relentlessness), Braxton évoque Paul Desmond (Autumn in New York) ou Eric Dolphy (Out of the Cage) quand Fonda déploie un savoir-faire d'envergure, enfonçant encore un peu plus la polyrythmie du discours (Composition 136) ou déposant sous archet grave un partenaire qui papillonne (Composition 168 + 147). Avec une efficacité qui tient, pour les deux hommes, de l'évidence, Duets I 1995 confirme la maîtrise d'Anthony Braxton et redit l'importance d'un Joe Fonda souvent mésestimé. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 Le son du grisli and Guillaume Belhomme. All reviews written by Guillaume Belhomme:
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September 2007 by Kurt Gottschalk for All About Jazz It's difficult to either match or deny the hyperbole with which Leo Feigin presented the 2000 release of the Fonda/Stevens Group's Live at the Bunker. Calling it the recording he'd been waiting for for 20 years, Feigin called it "a truly jazz CD … They wrap up all the influences, all the sounds that came before, then they roll the universe into a ball and make it new!" It's bold talk, even if it was a bit of PR hype, but the description still holds true seven years later. The trio on their new disc of the same name (recorded live in Poland in 2006) is rounded out by drummer Harvey Sorgen and without a horn they boldly move into the well-trod world of the piano trio, only to find a new path to cut. It's essentially mainstream music, confounded only by being so fresh. Michael Jefry Stevens' piano playing is not far removed from McCoy Tyner, or Dave Brubeck for that matter, with blocky chords underlying repeated melodies. Joe Fonda pushes harder, slapping his bass and mimicking vocals with his bow. Though he's more known as a prog drummer, Harvey Sorgen keeps pace here, backing the never-jarring, never-predictable compositions of the leaders. Fonda's talents for traversing the in and the out primed him for a set of duets with Anthony Braxton, recorded at Wesleyan University in 1995 and originally issued by Konnex as 10 Compositions (Duet) 1995. Braxton, too, has a love for the vanguard of jazz history as well as his own explorations and he calls upon Fonda to meet him in the middle for Cole Porter's "All of You" and Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York". Fonda in turn supplies two pieces of his own and the pair spends a little over half an hour working through Braxton's compositions 136, 173 and a pairing of 147 and 168. While these are probably the most 'important' tracks on the disc - and it's always interesting to hear Braxton's compositions pared down to duo - it's the standards that steal the show. Braxton has for decades had to insist that he is a jazz saxophonist and does know how to swing and his joyful, knotty solos here more than prove the case. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 All About Jazz and Kurt Gottschalk. All reviews written by Kurt Gottschalk:
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