Recorded on September 7, 1978
Reissued as part of Max Roach: The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (2015)
This album would make my short list of the finest jazz albums of the decade. It's that good.
Don't turn away from this record if Braxton doesn't normally appeal to you. Just listen! It's a tremendously exciting and interesting record!
Roach and Braxton made one other duo album, recorded live at the 1979 Willisau Festival, One in Two - Two in One (Hat Hut, 1980). It's nearly as impressive as Birth and Rebirth.
For sure you have to listen! It's not easy to park a horn-drum session into the background. The Coltrane-Ali duets are similar. The lack of a larger ensemble intentionally disrupts expectations while opening up the ears to hear differently. Given the immense reputations of both Roach and Braxton, the duo albums merit wider appraisal.
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