2004 · Album
Duo Palindrome 2002. Vol. 2
Recorded October 2002, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut · Intakt Records · Produced by Not specified
Two Voices, No Hierarchy: Cyrille and Braxton Converse
Braxton and Cyrille overwhelm any notion of reeds and drums, ready to play interdimensional or romantic at the drop of a hidden cue.
Volume 2 places you in a room with Andrew Cyrille's drums and Anthony Braxton's reeds — saxophone, clarinets, oboe — trading ideas without a script. There's space here. Cyrille doesn't anchor; instead he moves around the kit like he's having a conversation, sometimes sparse, sometimes urgent. Braxton responds in kind, his tones ranging from warm and nearly lyrical to abstract and exploratory. What's striking is the ease between them. These aren't musicians proving anything. They're experienced improvisers who've spent decades in avant-garde settings, and that shows in how fluidly they shift registers — from something almost romantic to something genuinely strange, often within the same piece.
This is their first real meeting as a duo, recorded in October 2002 at Wesleyan University. The delayed confrontation matters. Rather than rushing into collaboration, they'd each built separate careers, so when they finally played together, both brought full toolkits and mutual respect. The album mixes original compositions, spontaneous improvisations, and a couple of standards, each approach revealing something different about how they listen to each other.
Reviewer Jason Bivins noted the albums are "robust, intelligent, and filled with the very ease and warmth that so many haters have long professed absent from Mr. Braxton's music." He's right. If you've assumed Braxton's work is austere or inaccessible, this is a gentle rebuttal. The performances balance surprise with familiarity, toughness with whimsy. Two masters simply enjoying their craft together.
Who's playing
Andrew Cyrilledrums
Anthony Braxtonreeds
