Anthony Braxton

The Profile

Anthony Braxton (born 1945, Chicago) is an American composer and multi‑instrumentalist associated with the AACM. A pivotal figure in avant‑garde jazz, he’s known for complex compositional systems, extended techniques, and the landmark solo-sax album For Alto (1969).

Member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM); developed the Ghost Trance Music system; recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (1994); long-time educator at Wesleyan University; performs on multiple saxophones and clarinets.

Three reviews chart Braxton’s extremes: the radical solo-sax milestone For Alto (1969), the trance-like trio improvisations of Beyond Quantum (2008, Tzadik) with Milford Graves and William Parker recorded at Bill Laswell’s studio, and Live (Montreux ’75/Berlin ’76) with Dave Holland, Barry Altschul, Kenny Wheeler, and George Lewis. Expect complexity, ferocious focus, and moments of near-silence and noise alike.