Anthony Braxton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anthony Braxton
|
|
|---|---|
Braxton in 2007
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | June 4, 1945 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | experimental music, contemporary classical music, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, free improvisation |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician, educator |
| Instruments | Saxophones, clarinets, flute, piano |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Delmark, Arista, Hathut, Black Saint, Music & Arts, Antilles, Leo, CIMP |
| Associated acts | AACM, Creative Construction Company, Circle, Dave Holland, George E. Lewis, Kenny Wheeler, Marilyn Crispell, Mark Dresser, Gerry Hemingway |
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American composer, teacher, and musician. He is famous for playing many instruments, especially the alto saxophone. Braxton grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He was an important early member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
He became well-known for his 1969 album For Alto. This was the first full-length album of music played only on a saxophone. Braxton has created a huge amount of music. He has released hundreds of recordings and compositions. He is known for his "trans-idiomatic" style, which means he mixes different types of music. He believes that improvisation (making music up on the spot) and composition (writing music down) are not completely separate.
Braxton taught music at Mills College and Wesleyan University. He retired from teaching in 2013. He also leads the Tri-Centric Foundation. This group helps to preserve and share music by Braxton and other artists who explore different music styles.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Where Did Anthony Braxton Grow Up?
Anthony Braxton was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother was from Oklahoma and his father was from Mississippi. His parents divorced when he was young. He grew up with his mother, stepfather, and three brothers. He lived in a poorer area on the South Side of Chicago. As a child, he loved rock music and sang in a church choir. He was also very interested in rockets, TV, and technology.
How Did Braxton Learn About Music?
In his early teens, Braxton went to Chicago Vocational High School. There, he took classes in drafting and studied wiring diagrams. This helped him later with his music compositions.
After high school, he went to Wilson Junior College for a short time. But he had to stop because of money problems. In 1963, he joined the United States Fifth Army Band. He was first stationed in Illinois, where he continued music lessons. Later, he traveled to South Korea with The Eighth Army Band. In South Korea, he met other musicians who liked to improvise. He even led his own music group there.
After leaving the army, Braxton moved back to Chicago. He later studied philosophy and music at Roosevelt University.
Music Career
Joining the AACM
When Braxton returned to Chicago, his cousin told him about the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). He went to a concert and met Roscoe Mitchell. Mitchell invited him to practice with the group, and Braxton soon joined.
Early Albums and Solo Work
In 1968, Braxton released his first album, 3 Compositions of New Jazz. He played more than ten instruments on it! He said his influences included jazz legends like Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis, as well as rock music.
In 1969, Braxton recorded For Alto. This was a very important album because it was the first full-length album of music played only on an unaccompanied saxophone. Critics called it "one of the greatest solo saxophone records ever made." This album inspired many other saxophone players to record their own solo music.
Working with Other Musicians
In 1970, Braxton joined a group called Circle with pianist Chick Corea. After Corea left, Braxton continued to play with Dave Holland and Barry Altschul for many years. They formed a quartet that sometimes included other musicians like Kenny Wheeler.
Braxton also recorded with groups like the Creative Construction Company. His album Creative Orchestra Music 1976 was inspired by jazz and marching band music. He also made duet recordings with musicians like George Lewis.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Braxton often played with a quartet. This group included Marilyn Crispell (piano), Mark Dresser (bass), and Gerry Hemingway (drums).
Later Career and Many Recordings
In 1994, Braxton received a special award called a MacArthur Fellowship.
From the 1990s into the 2000s, Braxton recorded many jazz standards. He often played the piano on these recordings instead of the saxophone. He released huge multi-CD sets of music. He also worked with different groups, including a quintet with bassist Mario Pavone.
From 1995 to 2006, he focused on a series of compositions called Ghost Trance Music. This music had a steady beat and allowed musicians to play different pieces at the same time.
Braxton's list of recordings is incredibly long and varied. For example, since 2012, he has released several multi-CD operas, duets, and sets of music by other famous composers like Charlie Parker.
How Anthony Braxton Creates Music
Anthony Braxton has written many books to explain his ideas about music. These include the Tri-Axium Writings and Composition Notes.
Unique Music Titles
Braxton often gives his compositions unusual titles. These titles can be diagrams, numbers, or letters. Some diagrams show how the musicians should stand. Some titles are like musical notes that tell the performer how to play. Many titles are still a mystery to music critics. Later, his titles started to include drawings of objects like train cars. To make it easier to talk about his pieces, Braxton started using opus numbers for them.
Language Music System
Braxton's first way of composing was called "Language Music." This system helped him explore music by focusing on one thing at a time, like trills (a quick back-and-forth between two notes). He uses hand signals to show these "language types" to other musicians.
He says that "language music is the basis of my work." It helps musicians improvise and also guides how they play together. Braxton has listed over 100 sound types, but he mostly uses twelve in his music.
Collage Forms
In the late 1970s, 80s, and early 90s, Braxton experimented with "collage forms." This means he would give musicians different pieces of music to play at the same time. This idea of combining different parts became a key part of his music.
One important part of these collage structures was "pulse-track structures." These were special notes given to the rhythm section. They allowed the rhythm players to be creative while still supporting the other instruments.
Ghost Trance Music
The Ghost Trance Music (GTM) series includes about 150 pieces written between 1995 and 2006. Braxton was inspired by the 19th-century Native American Ghost Dance. He wanted these pieces to create a "ritual space" and connect his different music systems.
The main part of a GTM piece is a never-ending "primary melody." This melody can be very long, sometimes 80 pages or more. Any musician can play this melody together. Musicians can also move in and out of the primary melody. Special shapes like circles, triangles, or squares tell them when they can switch to a different composition or way of playing.
- A circle means a performer can improvise freely or use "language music."
- Triangles mean they can play other specific pieces of music that come with the GTM score.
- Squares mean they can play any other piece from Braxton's entire collection of music.
Braxton's notes also allow for changes within the primary melody. For example, a diamond-shaped "open clef" lets performers choose any clef or key. Small changes like "open accidentals" mean notes can be played either sharp or flat.
The Ghost Trance Music works changed over time, with four different "species" or types. Each species became more complex, with more varied rhythms, dynamics (loudness), and articulations (how notes are played). The Fourth Species GTM is very complex, with many notes and irregular rhythms.
Falling River Musics
In his Falling River Musics, Braxton started using "image logics." These are graphic scores with large paintings and drawings, along with small symbols. Musicians have to find their own meaning in these symbols and create their own path through the music.
Personal Life
Anthony Braxton's son, Tyondai Braxton, is also a musician. He was the guitarist and keyboardist for the band Battles.
Discography
Awards
Anthony Braxton has received many important awards:
- 1981: Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1994: MacArthur Fellowship
- 2013: Doris Duke Performing Artist Award
- 2014: NEA Jazz Master Award
- 2020: United States Artists Fellowship
He has also received honorary doctorates (special degrees) from universities in Belgium (2009) and the United States (2016).
Images for kids
-
Braxton in 2007
-
Anthony Braxton in 1976
-
The graphical title for Composition No. 65.
See Also
In Spanish: Anthony Braxton para niños
