Anthony Braxton ‎– Six Monk’s Compositions (1987) VG+/VG+

Anthony Braxton – Six Monk’s Compositions (1987) (Black Saint BSR 0098) Released in 1987 on the Italian avant-garde jazz label Black Saint (catalogue number BSR 0098), Six Monk’s Compositions (1987) finds multi-reedist Anthony Braxton reimagining the music of Thelonious Monk with cerebral intensity and structural reverence. Recorded in Milan in March 1987, the album features Braxton on alto and sopranino saxophones, alongside Mal Waldron (piano), Buell Neidlinger (bass), and Billy Osborne (drums)—a quartet of seasoned improvisers well-versed in both tradition and abstraction.

The six tracks—“Brilliant Corners,” “Reflections,” “Played Twice,” “Four in One,” “Ask Me Now,” and “Skippy”—are not mere tributes but analytical dissections, with Braxton’s angular phrasing and extended techniques illuminating the compositional architecture of Monk’s work. Waldron, a former Monk disciple and longtime collaborator with Billie Holiday, provides grounding and contrast with his percussive, minimalist touch.