Anthony Braxton (who on this set plays alto, soprano, C-melody sax, clarinet and flute) met up with his longtime pianist Marilyn Crispell for the first time on this Black Saint release. With bassist John Lindberg and drummer Gerry Hemingway forming what would be (with Mark Dresser in Lindberg’s place) a regular group for nearly a decade, his quartet was off to a strong start. Braxton seems quite comfortable playing this complex music, and his diagrams (which serve as songtitles) are actually fairly humorous. But why is this album called Four Compositions when it actually contains six? – Scott Yanow