A giant in the world of free jazz and experimental music, multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton approaches composition and performance with a theoretical perspective and idiosyncratic nature that has set him apart as a truly unique mind in a milieu already crowded with them. Also an educator, nonprofit operator, and label head, Braxton’s expansive range of accomplishments and contributions have earned him lifetime achievement awards and the admiration of generations of forward-thinking musicians.
Born in Chicago on June 4, 1945, Braxton attended the Chicago School of Music, followed by a stint in the army. Once he returned to Chicago in 1966, he formed the trio Creative Construction Company with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and violinist Leroy Jenkins. His first album as bandleader, 3 Compositions of New Jazz, arrived in 1968, and opened the floodgates for what would be a tremendously prolific recording career, yielding close to 10 albums in some years. His 1969 album For Alto made history as the first solo instrumental saxophone album, and that year he formed the group Circle with bassist Dave Holland, drummer Barry Altschul, and pianist Chick Corea.
Beyond the musical transcendence possible in free jazz itself, Braxton also sought to extract himself from the formal structures of music as a product. Song and album titles would often be alphanumeric sequences that, when deciphered, explained some part of the music, either structurally or even how it was to be performed spatially. While many of the diagrams and abbreviations he used instead of titles have been deciphered, many remain inscrutable, and added to his impenetrable mystique.
By the ‘70s, Braxton was firmly implanted as a devoted lifer in the music world. He transitioned from ensemble to ensemble -- although he often focused on his quartet, featuring pianist Marilyn Crispell, bassist Mark Dresser, and drummer Gerry Hemingway -- and released records at a seemingly inhuman pace. By the mid-’80s he took on the role of college professor, and by 1994 his body of work and overall commitment earned him a MacArthur Fellowship (aka Genius Grant). He embarked on a decade-spanning project called Ghost Trance Music, something of a unified musical concept (or system of musical thinking, if you like) that drew from wide-ranging aspects of his musical and personal philosophy, and he often provided extensive essays or even full books alongside his releases to further flesh out his ideas.
As he aged into elder statesman status in the twenty-first century, he received further accolades befitting his expansive career, including the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award in 2013. He has continued to perform and record, often with figures outside of the jazz world, but always with his sights set on something different.
