Braxton first met and played with synthesizer pioneer
Richard Teitelbaum in the late '60s, when both were members of the outstanding electro-acoustic improvising group
Musica Elettronica Viva. Unlike most practitioners from the jazz and rock communities who tended to use the instrument like some sort of psychedelic organ,
Teitelbaum was one of the first improvisers who really fleshed out its entire sonic palette, using it as a generator of hitherto unheard electronic sounds. The two have played together both in duo format and as part of larger ensembles ever since; this recording documents one such duo meeting in 1982. It appears that this session took place around the time that
Teitelbaum was experimenting with interactive computer systems which would record live musicians and respond, improvise if you will, in real time. On several occasions,
Braxton's alto is looped and played back into the mix, though it's difficult to tell how much, if any, alteration is done.
Teitelbaum's notably deft touch itself makes it hard to determine whether it's his reaction or the computer. Whatever the technical aspects of the recording, the musical results are first rate and always warmly imaginative. his approach is refreshingly nonacademic and both musician's pure enjoyment and listening ability is readily apparent. Though there is little reference to jazz traditions, there is a lovely nod to Riley-esque minimalism in some tracks and a surging piece riding high on waves of synthesized propulsion that's as close to rock as
Braxton's ever likely to come. For listeners interested in this facet of the artist's musical world (the interaction with electronics) this is a vital release, but it's also a fine example of one of the points of merger between the jazz and classical avant-garde.