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Anthony Braxton Quotes

Composer

Anthony Braxton is an influential American composer known for his innovative musical style and contributions to improvisational performance. His works span a variety of musical genres, including jazz, classical, and electronic music.

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All Jazz Kind African American Belief Creative Discipline Fundamentals Guy Has Beens Jazz Music

Famous Anthony Braxton Quotes

“I'm a post-Abner Jay kind of guy mixed with Roger Corman and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.”

Kind Guy Posts Teenager Roger

Author:Anthony Braxton

“Evolution is the phenomenon of change and the challenge of the next time cycle will involve the creation of constructs that will provide the kind of dynamic knowledge base that can assist the challenges of tomorrow (involving both fundamental and extended information).”

Kind Next Challenges Information Creation Evolution Tomorrow Fundamentals Cycles Phenomenon Next Time Constructs Involving

Author:Anthony Braxton

“...I have great hopes for the possibility of a dynamic universalism that respects all our people.”

People Music Possibility Great Hope Universalism

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I am interested in the study of music and the discipline of music and the experience of music and music as a esoteric mechanism to continue my real intentions.”

Real Study Discipline Intention Mechanism Esoteric

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I know I’m an African-American, and I know I play the saxophone, but I’m not a jazz musician. I’m not a classical musician, either. My music is like my life: It’s in between these areas.”

Knows Play Musician Music Is Areas Jazz African American Classical Music Jazz Music Saxophone Jazz Musician Classical Musicians

Author:Anthony Braxton

“For the most basic assumption that dictated my early attempts to respond to creative music commentary was the mistaken belief that western journalists had some fundamental understanding of black creativity—or even western creativity—but this assumption was seriously in error.”

Belief Understanding Black Creativity Creative Fundamentals Errors Western Journalist Assumption Mistaken Commentary Creative Music

Author:Anthony Braxton

“Is jazz a rhythm, or is it a vibration?”

Jazz Rhythm Vibrations

Author:Anthony Braxton

“There is more to creative mastership than the surface of satisfaction and political certainty. The music of Joe Fonda is part of a living tradition of belief and dedication. Future historians will be surprised at the breadth of Mr. Fonda's offerings. This is a real virtuoso and composer of the highest order.”

Real Political Order Belief Creative Highest Tradition Satisfaction Surface Certainty Historian Composer Dedication Offering Breadth Virtuoso

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I am viewed as the Negro who has gone outside of the categories assigned to me.”

Music Gone Jazz Categories Jazz Music

Author:Anthony Braxton

“Most African Americans, especially the men and women from my generation, would accept the nationalist gambit that says only European Americans can be racists, which is an interesting gambit.”

Men Interesting Accepting Generations He Man Men And Women African American Racist My Generation Gambit

Author:Anthony Braxton

“The word music is a convenient way to talk about what I'm interested in, but actually, in some ways, it's a limitation.”

Way Music Is Limitation Convenient

Author:Anthony Braxton

“Everybody in America is angry about something.”

America Angry

Author:Anthony Braxton

“Growing up in the '50s and being in the '60s, in that revolutionary time space, I thought freedom was what I was looking for. Slowly but surely, it became clear that the last thing I was interested in was freedom. Because if you're going to be free, you have to be free from something.”

Ifs Lasts Space Growing Up Clear Growing Revolutionary Slowly But Surely

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I had never thought that I would be involved in narrative structures. As a young guy, I was more interested in abstract modeling. But as I got older, I began to see that there was no reason to limit myself to any intellectual or conceptual postulate, when in fact I'm a professional student of music.”

Reason Facts Would Be Young Guy Students Involved Limits Intellectual Structure Narrative Abstract No Reason Modeling Young Guys Narrative Structure

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I have learned through time that not everyone is interested in the kinds of things that fascinate me.”

Kind I Have Learned Rough Times

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I thank the Creator of the universe to have discovered the discipline of music was the greatest gift that I could have been given, the possibility to be a student working in the world.”

World Has Beens Universe Given Possibility Students Discipline Creator Could Have Been Greatest Gifts

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I would find myself backing away from all of the 'isms,' all of the communities. I have always been able to be misused by every community But that is OK. I would rather be misused than neglected.”

Able Community Neglected Isms Misused Backing Away

Author:Anthony Braxton

“I'm seeking to have an art that is engaged as a way for saying, 'Hurray for unity.”

Way Art Unity Seeking Engaged

Author:Anthony Braxton

“My work has been marginalized as far as the jazz-business complex is concerned, or the contemporary-music complex.”

Has Beens Concerned Jazz Complexes Contemporary Marginalized Contemporary Music

Author:Anthony Braxton

“So, yes, I am in the underground, but actually, it feels like home.”

Feels Home

Author:Anthony Braxton

About the Author

Born: June 4, 1945
Known for: Composer
Quotes: 20

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