Anthony Braxton - Figurations, Blutopia & Musico-Meta-Reality Implications

Yes, I'd say we were in a stylistic period: I'm thinking of, say, Wynton Marsalis, Chico Freeman ... The universities are programming young people for stylistic value systems. The problem is they're trying to separate the music from its meta-reality implications. [Lock, Forces in Motion p. 165]

It's Sunday morning. I'm listening to a recording entitled A Memory of Vienna by Ran Blake, piano and Anthony Braxton, alto saxophone. A couple of days ago I began reading - again - Ronald M. Radano's 1993 book, New Musical Figurations: Anthony Braxton's Cultural Critique. This time I managed to fight my way through Radano's 27 page "Introduction" with its 55 footnotes. I think I'll outflank the author and take up my position at his 8 page, 13 footnote "Epilogue".[*]
   As opposed to Professor Radano's book, I found Graham Lock's book, Forces in Motion: Anthony Braxton and the meta-reality of creative music • interviews and tour notes • England 1985 captivating - after all it held my attention, since it was full of Braxton's words and thoughts. Good gossip about musicians and music throughout. Academic footnote scribbling terrifies me - unless it's the philosopher David Wiggins. And indeed any serious work of music aesthetics that relies on Downbeat magazine interviews and articles is in my view suspect. But, of course, if one is doing Adorno type stuff, as Radano seems to be doing; then it doesn't matter. Sociology makes nasty work of the cultural leavings - digs all of the bits.
   Soul Junction, Red Garland, John Coltrane and Donald Byrd. That's better. Think I'll reread Graham Lock's 2004 BLUTOPIA:Visions of the Future and Revisions of the Past in the work of SUN RA, DUKE ELLINGTON, and ANTHONY BRAXTON. Lots of footnotes here also; but they're endnotes. There is a stylistic difference. Back to Ran Blake.
 
[*] I came across this piece of editorial wisdom from Mark Sainsbury, a former editor of Mind:

Gilbert Ryle is reported to have advised contributors to Mind to avoid footnotes:
‘If it’s worth saying, put it in the text; if it’s not worth saying, don’t say it.’ Azzouni’s text bristles with footnotes: 560 of them in 254 pages. One does not get the impression that making the book a pleasure to read was a high priority for the author.