He has created a large body of highly complex work. Much of Braxton's music is Jazz oriented, but he has also been active in Free Improvisation and orchestral music, and has written Opera s. Among the vast array of instruments he utilizes are the Flute , the Sopranino , Soprano , F alto, E-flat Alto , Baritone , Bass , and Contrabass saxophones; and the E-flat, B-flat, and contrabass Clarinet s.
Critic Chris Kelsey writes that "Although Braxton exhibited a genuine — if highly idiosyncratic — ability to play older forms (influenced especially by saxophonists Warne Marsh , John Coltrane , Paul Desmond , and Eric Dolphy ), he was never really accepted by the jazz establishment, due to his manifest infatuation with the practices of such non-jazz artists as John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen though Kelsey doesn't mention it, Braxton has long been interested in Arnold Schoenberg 's music . Many of the mainstream's most popular musicians ( Wynton Marsalis among them) insisted that Braxton's music was not jazz at all. Whatever one calls it, however, there is no questioning the originality of his vision; Anthony Braxton created music of enormous sophistication and passion that was unlike anything else that had come before it." [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:66vsa9lgb23f~T1]
Braxton's music is highly theoretical and Mystic ally influenced, and he is the author of multiple volumes explaining his theories and pieces - such as the philosophical three-volume ''Triaxium Writings'' and the five-volume ''Composition Notes, both published by Frog Peak Music .
Braxton is notorious for naming his pieces as diagrams--often with no textual or numeric titles. Some of these diagrams indicate positions of the performers in the piece, a variation on Aleatory Music that presaged his follower John Zorn 's "game pieces."
In 1994 he was granted a MacArthur Fellowship .
Beyond his musical career, Braxton is an avid Chess player and has played at a professional level.
Early in his career, Braxton led a trio with violinist Leroy Jenkins and trumpeter Leo Smith and was involved with the AACM , The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, founded in Chicago , Braxton's birthplace.
In 1968 Braxton recorded ''For Alto''. There had been occasional unaccompanied saxophone recordings previously (notably Coleman Hawkins ' "Picasso"), but ''For Alto'' was the first full-length album for unaccompanied saxophone. The album's songs were dedicated to Cecil Taylor and John Cage , among others. The album influenced other artists like Steve Lacy (soprano sax) and George Lewis (trombone), who would go on to record their own acclaimed solo albums.
Braxton joined pianist's Chick Corea 's existing trio with Dave Holland (double bass) and Barry Altschul (drums) to form the short-lived avant garde quartet "Circle". When Corea broke up the group, forming Return To Forever to pursue a Fusion based style of composition and recording, Holland and Altschul remained with Braxton for much of the 1970s as part of a quartet, with the rotating Brass chair variously filled by Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler , or trombonists George Lewis or Ray Anderson . The core trio plus sxophonist Sam Rivers recorded Holland's '' Conference Of The Birds ''.
Braxton's regular group in the 1980s and early 1990s was a quartet with Marilyn Crispell (piano), Mark Dresser (double bass) and Gerry Hemingway on drums was called "his finest and longest standing band". {Link without Title}
Braxton has also recorded and collaborated with musicians situated in the European improvisation scene, such as Derek Bailey and Evan Parker , or with giants from the 'regular' jazz world, such as Max Roach . Throughout the years Braxton has played with a wide variety of people, such as Mal Waldron , Dave Douglas , Ornette Coleman , Dave Brubeck , Lee Konitz , Peter Brötzmann , Willem Breuker , Muhal Richard Abrams , Steve Lacy , Roscoe Mitchell , Pat Metheny , Andrew Cyrille , Wolf Eyes , Misha Mengelberg , Chris Dahlgren and countless others.
Since 1995 Braxton has been composing and performing almost exclusively what he calls Ghost Trance Music, which introduces a steady pulse to his music and also allows the simultaneous performance of any piece by him.
Braxton studied philosophy at Roosevelt University. He has taught at Mills College and now is Professor of Music at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut , teaching music composition, music history, and improvisation.
Braxton recorded albums for various labels, such as Leo Records , Braxton House , Hat Hut , Emanem , Delmark, Black Saint, Arista, etc.
- 1968 '' Three Compositions Of New Jazz ''
- 1968 For Alto
- 1969 Anthony Braxton {Link without Title}
- 1971 Together Alone Delmark
- 1971 Circle: Paris Concert {Link without Title}
- 1972 Saxophone Improvisations, Series F
- 1972 Town Hall (1972) {Link without Title}
- 1974 In the Tradition, Vol. 1
- 1974 In the Tradition, Vol. 2
- 1974 Quartet Live at Moers New Jazz Festival
- 1974 Duo, Vols. 1 and 2
- 1974 First Duo Concert {Link without Title}
- 1974 Trio and Duet Sackville
- 1974 New York, Fall 1974
- 1974 Live at Wigmor
- 1975 Five Pieces (1975)
- 1975 Anthony Braxton Live
- 1975 The Montreux/Berlin Concerts {Link without Title}
- 1975 Live
- 1976 Creative Orchestra Music (1976)
- 1976 Elements of Surprise: Braxton/Lewis Duo
- 1976 Duets (1976)
- 1976 Donaueschingen (Duo) 1976
- 1976 Quartet (Dortmund) 1976 {Link without Title}
- 1976 Solo: Live at Moers Festival
- 1977 Four Compositions (1973)
- 1978 Creative Orchestra (Koln) 1978
- 1978 For Four Orchestras
- 1978 Alto Saxophone Improvisations (1979)
- 1978 Birth and Rebirth
- 1978 NW5-9M4: For Trio
- 1979 Performance (9-1-1979) {Link without Title}
- 1979 With Robert Schumann String Quartet
- 1979 Seven Compositions (1978)
- 1980 For Two Pianos
- 1980 The Coventry Concert {Link without Title}
- 1981 Composition No. 96
- 1981 Six Compositions: Quartet
- 1982 Open Aspects (Duo) 1982
- 1982 Four Compositions (Solo, Duo & Trio)
- 1982 Six Duets (1982)
- 1983 Four Compositions (Quartet) 1983
- 1983 Composition No. 113
- 1984 Prag (Quartet-1984) {Link without Title}
- 1985 Seven Standards (1985), Vol. 2
- 1985 London (Quartet-1985) {Link without Title}
- 1985 Seven Standards (1985), Vol. 1
- 1985 Quartet (London) 1985 {Link without Title}
- 1985 Six Compositoins (Quartet) 1984
- 1986 Five Compositions (Quartet), 1986
- 1986 Moment Précieux {Link without Title}
- 1987 Six Monk's Compositions (1987)
- 1987 ... If My Memory Serves Me Right
- 1988 19 (Solo) Compositions (1988)
- 1988 Victoriaville 1988 {Link without Title}
- 1988 2 Compositions (Jarvenpaa) 1988, Ensemble
- 1988 Voigt Kol Nidre
- 1988 The Aggregate
- 1988 London Solo (1988)
- 1989 Eugene (1989)
- 1989 Seven Compositions (Trio) 1989
- 1989 Vancouver Duets (1989)
- 1989 2 Compositions (Ensemble) 1989/1991
- 1989 Eight (+3) Tristano Compositions, 1989
- 1991 8 Duets: Hamburg 1991
- 1991 Duo (Amsterdam) 1991 {Link without Title}
- 1991 Composition No. 107 (Excerpt, 1982)/In CDCM
- 1991 Composition No. 98
- 1992 Wesleyan (12 Altosolos) 1992
- 1992 Willisau (Quartet) 1991 2 [live]
- 1992 Composition No. 165 (For 18 Instruments)
- 1992 (Victoriaville) 1992 {Link without Title}
- 1993 Duets (1993)
- 1993 9 Standards (Quartet) 1993 {Link without Title}
- 1993 Trio (London) 1993 {Link without Title} Leo
- 1993 Twelve Compositions: Oakland, July 1993
- 1993 Quartet (Santa Cruz) 1993 {Link without Title}
- 1993 Charlie Parker Project 1993
- 1993 Duo (Leipzig) 1993
- 1993 Duo (London) 1993
- 1994 Composition No. 174: For Ten Percussionists
- 1994 Small Ensemble Music (Wesleyan) 1994 {Link without Title}
- 1994 Duo (Wesleyan) 1994
- 1994 Knitting Factory (Piano/Quartet) 1994, Vol. 2 {Link without Title}
- 1995 11 Compositions
- 1995 10 Compositions (Duet) 1995
- 1995 Performance Quartet
- 1995 Octet (New York) 1995
- 1995 Solo Piano (Standards) 1995
- 1995 Two Lines Lovely Music
- 1995 Knitting Factory (Piano/Quartet) 1994, Vol. 1 {Link without Title}
- 1995 Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995
- 1995 Seven Standards 1995
- 1996 Composition No. 192
- 1996 Composition No. 193 {Link without Title}
- 1996 Tentet (New York) 1996 {Link without Title}
- 1996 Live at Merkin Hall
- 1996 14 Compositions (Traditional) 1996
- 1996 Composition No. 102: For Orchestra & Puppet Theatre
- 1996 Sextet (Istanbul) 1996
- 1996 Composition No. 173
- 1997 Silence/Time Zones
- 1997 Amsterdam 1991 {Link without Title}
- 1997 4 Compositions (Quartet) 1995
- 1998 Compositions No. 10 & No. 16 (+101)
- 1999 Duets (1987)
- 1999 4 Compositions (Washington D.C.) 1998
- 1999 Trillium R boxset opera
- 2000 Composition No. 94:
- 2000 Quintet (Basel) 1977 {Link without Title}
- 2000 Ten Compositions (Quartet) 2000
- 2000 Nine Compositions (Hill) 2000
- 2001 Compositions/Improvisations 2000
- 2001 Composition No. 247
- 2001 Composition No. 169 + (186 + 206 + 214)
- 2001 Four Compositions (GTM) 2000
- 2001 8 Compositions (Quintet) 2001
- 2002 This Time
- 2002 (Coventry) 1985 {Link without Title}
- 2002 (Birmingham) 1985
- 2002 Duets {Link without Title} 2002
- 2002 8 Standards (Wesleyan 2001) {Link without Title}
- 2002 Solo (Koln) 1978
- 2002 Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 1
- 2003 Four Compositions (GTM) 2000
- 2003 Two Compositions (Trio) 1998 {Link without Title}
- 2003 Solo (Milano) 1979, Vol. 1 {Link without Title}
- 2003 Anthony Braxton {Link without Title}
- 2003 Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 2 {Link without Title}
- 2003 Solo (NYC) 2002 {Link without Title}
- 2005 Quintet (London) 2004 Live at the Royal Festival Hall
- 2006 Compositions 175 & 126 (for Four Vocalists And Constructed Environment) The Creative Jazz Orchestra
- 2006 Sextet (Victoriaville) 2005
- Braxton, Anthony - ''Triaxium Writings Volumes 1-3'' - 1985.
- Braxton, Anthony - ''Composition Notes A-E'' - 1988.
- Ford, Alun - ''Anthony Braxton (Creative Music Continuum)'' - Stride, 2004.
- Heffley, Mike - ''The Music Of Anthony Braxton'' - Greenwood, 1996.
- Lock, Graham - ''Forces in Motion: The Music and Thoughts of Anthony Braxton'' - Da Capo, 1989.
- Lock, Graham - ''Mixtery (A Festschrift For Anthony Braxton)'' - Stride, 1995.
- Lock, Graham - ''Blutopia: Visions of the Future and Revisions of the Past in the Work of Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and Anthony Braxton'' - Duke University, 2000.
- Radano, Ronald Michael - ''New Musical Figurations (Anthony Braxton'S Cultural Critique)'' - University of Chicago, 1994.
- Wilson, Peter Niklas - ''Anthony Braxton. Sein Leben. Seine Musik. Seine Schallplatten.'' - Oreos, 1993.
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