Subconsciously, quite possibly, George. I soaked enough of it up. But I never noted what the albums were. Thanks for that Tippett/Tracey spot, and thanks also to the Dog. 

I'd recommend anything from Cecil Taylor's 1988 concerts in Berlin, most of which are available on the FMP label. Some of the larger ensembles - e.g. Alms / Tiergarten - achieve an intensity that essentially defined the parameters of free improvisation from then on. And the solo piano concert, Erzulie Maketh Scent, is transcendent.

With Anthony Braxton, I'd skip most of the 70s and 80s for the time being - you can always go back later - and start with the Ghost Trance Music. Try some of the Yoshi concerts released on the Leo label, or the 2006 Quartet recordings just out on 'Important Records'.

Alternatively, you might find some of these interesting;

Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and Sinner Lady (indeed, any Mingus from the late 50's through to mid-60s)

Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder

For Miles Davis, perhaps try Live at the Plugged Nickel, possibly his most complete statement? For Coltrane, Live at the Village Vanguard is where you see the language of bebop being deconstructed and a completely new language emerging, taken even further in the sublime Live at the Village Vanguard Again.

if you like jazz
you wont like anthony braxton
it's far too intelligent

Gosh - my thoughts almost exactly! I think that his earlier work - including the marvellous New York, Fall 1974, and the Creative Orchestra compositions, are very much about music, and music tradition (and the politics associated with that) - whereas GTM is something else entirely - a new language, indeed.

I forgot to mention the Art Ensemble of Chicago in response to the original poster - Urban Bushmen on the ECM label is excellent and (hopefully) easy to find - or some of their live concerts on the BYG label from the late 60s or early 70s - it's engrossing, fascinating music that (imho) provided some of the structure for GTM.

That album is Taylor-made for these boards due to the appearance of

Peter Brötzmann on tarogato.

Such an odd sound, hard to mistake it for anything else -- it's so obviously not a clarinet or a saxophone, nor some imaginary timbre in between. Great stuff, this album (it's now spinning here)

And here's a picture of the Spree:

i'm a bit dumbfounded by brotzman of late
i mean he just seems to be going round in a hamster wheel
hasnt he just been playing exactly the same thing
wherever he is for about 10 15 years or more

mind you i'm beginning to feel like that abuot evan parker too

am i just missing the point ?

I haven't heard any Brötzmann for a few years so I can't really comment on that, but he never had much of a wide range of expression, did he? Alan Wilkinson has for me the same kind of intensity but his pplaying is much more subtle. Which reminds me, two excerpts of the Wilkinson/Thomas/Coxon/Noble quartet at the Vortex I was raving about are now up at youtube. As for Evan, I have the impression that things have definitely been changing in the last couple of years - more emphasis on tenor, more melodic playing, less of the extended soprano textures...?