Braxton75: The Music of Anthony Braxton – Navigation Through Form

Talk by James Fei
Tri-Centric Foundation

In celebration of Anthony Braxton’s 75th birthday year, International Contemporary Ensemble and Braxton’s Tri-Centric Foundation are collaborating to present the very first online Braxton75 event accessible to the public. In this talk, Tri-Centric president James Fei, who has been working closely with Braxton for over two decades, will offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Braxton compositions. Specifically, using scores and audiovisual material, Fei will examine the intersection of improvisation and notation, the changing role of the performer, and the fluid notions of “composition” in Braxton’s works.

James Fei (b. Taipei, Taiwan) moved to the US in 1992 to study electrical engineering and has since been active as a composer and performer on saxophones and live electronics. Works by Fei have been performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble, Bang on a Can All-Stars, MATA Micro Orchestra and Noord-Hollands Philharmonisch Orkest. His recordings can be found on Leo Records, Improvised Music from Japan, CRI, Krabbesholm and Organized Sound. Compositions for Fei’s own ensemble of four alto saxophones focus on physical processes of saliva, fatigue, reeds crippled by cuts and the threshold of audible sound production, while his sound installations and performance on live electronics often focus on electronic and acoustic feedback. Fei has taught at Mills College in Oakland since 2006 where he is Professor of Electronic Arts and Head of the Music Department and Art and Technology Program. He is the recipient of the 2014 Grants for Artists Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and currently the president of Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Foundation. www.jamesfei.com

The Tri-Centric Foundation is a non-profit organization which supports the work and legacy of American composer and musician Anthony Braxton. Our primary activities are preservation and dissemination of his scores, recordings, and writings, production of performances, and pedagogy. https://tricentricfoundation.org/