Circle (Anthony Braxton - Chick Corea - David Holland - Barry Altschul) - Paris Concert (2017) [Hi-Res]

• Circle was a band on fire with creativity. Chick Corea and Dave Holland had just left Miles Davis’s band, keen to explore all parameters of new music in an improvised context. Anthony Braxton, equally inspired by Stockhausen and Coltrane, brought in new directions from the AACM. Barry Altschul’s resumé included extensive work with Paul Bley. Together they were, for a while, matchless. Corea called the Paris Concert (recorded 1971) the realization of a dream. Melody Maker: “Paris Concert is evidence that here was one of the most excitingly talented bands of recent years, for these 94 minutes of music simply burst with vigorous invention.”

• Of all of the recordings from the short-lived avant-garde quartet Circle, this double-LP is the most rewarding. Cut live in Paris, this set features pianist Chick Corea, the reeds of Anthony Braxton, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Barry Altschul playing a wide variety of fairly free explorations. Highlights include their reinterpretation of the standard "There Is No Greater Love," the playful "Toy Room - Q & A," Braxton's "73 Degrees Kelvin," and "Nefertiti." The music is often quite abstract but generally colorful and innovative; Chick Corea would soon break up the band for other musical adventures, but this set remains one of the high points of his productive career. ~ Scott Yanow