The Aggregate

1988 live album by Rova Saxophone Quartet and Anthony Braxton

The Aggregate

Live album by

Rova Saxophone Quartet and Anthony Braxton

Released| 1988
Recorded| August 22, 1986 and July 30, 1988
Venue| PreEchoes 2 in San Francisco, California and Koncepts Cultural Gallery, Oakland, California, United States
Genre| Jazz
Length| 50:18
Label| Sound Aspects
SAS 023
Producer| Pedro De Freitas and Rova
Anthony Braxton chronology
| Solo (London) 1988
(1988)  | The Aggregate
(1988)  | Ensemble (Victoriaville) 1988
(1988)

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Rova Saxophone Quartet chronology
| Beat Kennel
(1987)  | The Aggregate
(1988)  | Long on Logic
(1990)

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The Aggregate is a live album by the Rova Saxophone Quartet and Anthony Braxton recorded in California in 1986 and 1988 for the Sound Aspects label.[1][2]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [3]

The Allmusic review by Brian Olewnick states "The Aggregate is a challenging recording, more so than most by more jazz-oriented saxophone quartets, but very rewarding on its own terms and an important document in Braxton's work for woodwind ensembles".[3] in the Washington Post Mike Joyce wrote "If easy-listening music lies at one end of the pop spectrum, the edgy, probing and often discordant sounds Anthony Braxton and the ROVA Saxophone Quartet conjure up on "The Aggregate" can be found at the opposite extreme. In fact, lacking the jazz and blues-orientation of the World Saxophone Quartet or the lightheartedness of, say, Washington's own Windmill Saxophone Quartet, the Braxton-ROVA collaboration will appeal primarily to listeners open to the more cerebral side of improvisation and composition".[4]

## Track listing

[edit]

1. "The Shopper" (Larry Ochs) – 11:16
2. "The Aggregate" (Jon Raskin) – 11:34
3. "Composition 129+" (Anthony Braxton) – 46:13 Originally edited to 27:28 on LP release

Note

* Recorded on August 22, 1986 at PreEchoes 2 in San Francisco, CA (track 2) and July 30, 1988 at Koncepts Cultural Gallery, Oakland, CA (tracks 1 & 3)

## Personnel

[edit]

* Anthony Braxton – contrabass saxophone, bass saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone
* Bruce Ackley – soprano saxophone. clarinet
* Andrew Voigt – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone, flute
* Larry Ochs – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone
* Jon Raskin – baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rova Discography: 1980's accessed January 31, 2017
2. ^ Anthony Braxton discography accessed January 31, 2017
3. ^ a b Olewnick, Brian. Anthony Braxton – The Aggregate: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
4. ^ Joyce, M. Braxton, Quartet Roving Saxophones, Washington Post, April 20, 1990

* v
* t
* e

Rova Saxophone Quartet

Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.

* Jon Raskin
* Larry Ochs
* Bruce Ackley
* Steve Adams

* Andrew Voight

Studio albums|

* Favorite Street (1983)
* The Crowd (1985)
* Beat Kennel (1987)
* Bingo (1996)
* Totally Spinning (1996 & 2000)
* Freedom in Fragments (2000)
* The Celestial Septet (with the Nels Cline Singers, 2008)

Live albums|

* The Aggregate (with Anthony Braxton, 1986 & 1988)
* Electric Ascension (2003)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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