Braxston at Kennedy

a nearly full house heard Anthony Braxston at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater on 2012 Dec 7 - and not that many people walked out.

he looked like a school janitor: rumpled white shirt, dull black shoes, droopy cardigan sweater.

i thought i heard a few wrong notes?

the show began with his turning over an hourglass, which he said to the giggles 'really helps us,' tho to do what he didn't say. when the sand ran out i was ready for the end, but they kept playing for a few minutes more - perhaps this was an encore?

he made obscure hand gestures: did 3 fingers vertical mean 3 solos and 3 horizontal mean 3 sharps (and held to the right 3 flats)?

he played the largest saxophone i've ever seen; taller than he is, but it didn't sound much lower than the next largest.

nevertheless, listening to the quintet for an hour does clean the mind of the musty tonalities of conventional music (jazz included).