I grew up in a house full of love of melody. My mother was an accomplished pianist, performing everything from Chopin to cowboy tunes, and I was pushed through piano lessons that were full of the works of classical composing masters. My sister Ingrid was always interpreting melodies on the trumpet, and my oldest sister Janet was consistently keeping us in check of the current Top 40 hits on the radio, all full of melody. These are all scenes that added to my character development as a musician. Once I switched to saxophone I started playing in the school big band, where I aspired to play like Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderley as a soloist. They really knew how to project their gorgeous sounds through phrases full of melody.
Through my university studies, I was pushed to be the best player possible, and was given the tools to improvise by understanding concepts of jazz harmony. The lights went on once I really applied myself to voice leading between each vertical harmonic movement. It was so exciting to hear rich harmony connect through close relationships in jazz, and a bonus seeing it move on the piano. My ears opened up, shooting me into the world of composition. If I were to sum up my life as a musician, I am constantly intertwining the act of composition and improvisation, with composition being improvisation slowed down, and improvisation being composition sped up at lightning speed. Masters of improvisation always humble and inspire me for this reason.
All jazz composers that I have really researched have developed their own process. I hope I can share a bit of mine here. I am only scratching the surface on elements that I try to apply in my process of creating a new story.
Some starting notes about character development in my approach to composition:
I love creating melodic statements in the way that they become leading characters in a story. Once I have created a character statement, I look toward my harmonic and rhythmic palette in terms of support. However, melody, rhythm and harmony are all interchangeable in terms of the conception of my character. For example, I may first come up with a harmonic movement or a rhythmic idea that is the basis in creating the piece. I credit my lessons with Jim McNeely, both privately and with BMI, where he encouraged me to be aware of character entrances (and possible exits).
As an eternal student in the study of composition, I am constantly trying to expand my palette of colour through harmony and rhythm. I want each character to take a voyage that is full of interesting twists and turns in its development. In my journey as a jazz composer and improviser, I continue to research harmonic and rhythmic approaches that are beyond my comfort zone. This includes ear training through transcribing sounds that interest me. For example, I might try to challenge myself with tempos that I have not explored enough, rhythmic feels that are deceptive to the ear, and harmony that I am not comfortable soloing over. I have some technique to rely on, but I really enjoy combining it with the risk-taking of attempting the creation of something new. At times I must remind myself that even if it is a total failure, I can take satisfaction in the fact that I tried.
Applying orchestration techniques add technicolor to my story. The more I learn about orchestration, the more colourful the journey for my character development.Balance and weight are two things that I focus on in large ensemble especially. How much density can occur and what is the weight between various instruments? For example, the drums can overtake any sort of light woodwind and muted passages if not balanced properly. This means studying the various techniques that the percussionist can apply to highlight the delicate passage you may have orchestrated. Understanding instrument range and timbre can also support the journey of the piece. This is where score analysis is essential.
Some of my favourite music contains the strong element of counterpoint. This is when the characters really get into two or three-part conversation that flows because of phrasing ideas (please see excerpt of Red Cedar that is included). This is also where I might apply more atonal concepts, with focus on rhythm and melody over harmony.
Most important, FORM is always at the top of my mind. How will my form evolve?My character or characters will navigate through an introduction, a large body of the piece and a conclusion. There are countless variables in navigating form.Where do I balance the structured composition with the important act of improvisation within the form? I do not always pre-conceive the form, but I do create a wish list of what should happen in my story in terms of development. Repetition, variation and new material being introduced is always being questioned as I work through my form.
I have included an excerpt of Red Cedar, from my recording Treelines. This is an example of my melody in full character development, with 2-part counterpoint at letter B (melody and bass line), and Three-part counterpoint at letter C (melody, supporting melody line, and bass line).
Here are my top three composition book desert island picks that I love to go to because of their content that contains insight into the process of the jazz composer:
Montreal-based saxophonist, composer and conductor Christine Jensen has been described as an original voice on the international jazz scene, while being regarded as one of Canada’s most compelling composers. She is a recent winner of the Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Rising Star Big Band, Arranger, and Soprano Saxophonist, as well as being a recipient of the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s 2017 Oscar Peterson Prize. She currently leads her own jazz orchestra as well as other diverse ensemble projects featuring her saxophone playing. “Jensen writes in three dimensions, with a quiet kind of authority that makes the many elements cohere. Wayne Shorter, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler come to mind.” –Downbeat.
Jensen has won two Canadian Juno Awards for her recordings with her jazz orchestra, including Habitat (2014) and Treelines (2011). Four of her albums have been nominated for jazz album of the year with Quebec’s ADISQ awards. Habitat received five stars in Downbeat, along with being included at the top of several international critic’s polls, including Jazz Album of the Year in 2014.She was also profiled on NPR’s All Things Considered for her work with Habitat. She has topped 2014 critic’s polls for Album of the Year with CBC, Downbeat, NPR, Ottawa Citizen, and JazzTimes. A two-time recipient of the Hagood Hardy Prize for jazz from SOCAN, she has also received two Quebec Opus Awards for her big band recordings and concerts. Her recent collaborations as conductor and composer with Orchestre National Jazz Montreal have included conducting Terence Blanchard, Oliver Jones, the music of Carla Bley, as well as recording her suite Under the Influence, which won the 2017 Prix Opus for jazz recording of the year.
As a leader, Jensen has released three small ensemble recordings between 2000 and 2006. Along with her sister, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, she has co-led Nordic Connect, where they released two recordings, as well as touring Canada, US, and Scandinavia numerous times. Over the past two years, they have toured Canada, US and Europe extensively with Infinitude, featuring NY guitarist Ben Monder.
Jensen’s music has taken her all over the world, where she has received numerous commissions and conducting opportunities with jazz orchestras in Canada, the US and Europe. Recent residencies include Frost School of Music, The New School, Dartmouth College and MacEwan University. She works extensively with her sister Ingrid, and her partner saxophonist Joel Miller on projects of varying sizes. Collaborators have included Phil Dwyer, Ben Monder, Gary Smuylan, Geoffrey Keezer, Lenny Pickett, Gary Versace, George Colligan, and Donny McCaslin. She has studied with Kenny Werner, Jim McNeely, Dick Oatts, Remi Bolduc and John Hollenbeck.
Jensen has released three recordings for jazz orchestra on Justin Time Records:
Although I don’t talk much about the process of composing with my fellow composer friends or anybody, I enjoy reading about other composers’ processes when I get a chance, so I will share mine here hoping someone would enjoy reading it. This is not technical but more of my personal perspective.
I started studying jazz composition at Berklee College of Music when I was twenty-six years old. I would imagine many people would start much earlier studying something like that, but I actually wasn’t really interested in composing before I attended Berklee. Soon after I started classes there, I had to compose for some school projects and I quickly fell in love with the freedom of composing. At that time, I was trying to play piano like Bud Powell, and it was struggle for me being constrained by my own idea of how I should sound. On the other hand, composing, it was a discovery of a new playground. I loved to tell my stories through my composition, which I even didn’t know I would enjoy so much. I just felt so free.
Telling stories is an important part of composing for me. Sometimes composing is my tool to tell a story. I almost always have a story in my head before I start writing. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic one; it could be an ordinary day of summer in the garden. Nature is usually a great inspiration for me. I think composing is like taking my camera and going outside to look under a leaf or inside flowers with a macro lens. There are lives and dramas that we cannot see with our naked eye. There are so many details, which are delicate, colorful, and vibrant. That is how I want my music to be, too.
One of my teachers at Berklee, Ted Pease once told me that melody is the most important thing. That stayed with me for a long time, and most of the time, my piece starts taking shape and firming its character with some melodies. I sing (terribly) in the street, on the subway, in the shower, waiting in line, in the woods, or in front of piano to find the magical melodies somewhere in the air. Sometimes I would succeed to catch them and write them down on manuscript paper, but I fail a lot of the time, too. Singing works best for me so far because then I can be free from my hand habits on the piano, I do not play any other instruments, and I do not want to write something that I cannot sing. When I luckily find a succession of notes I’m happy with, I quickly and carefully write them down on paper without key signature or time signature to not have any constraints to shape a melody I found. I would sing and play it on the piano many times until it feels right, and then I figure out the best time signature for the melody. Often times I won’t have enough rehearsal time with a band, so it is crucial to have the clearest and easiest way possible to read. I stopped using key signatures at some point, so I even don’t bother to think about it.
It takes a lot of time. Every time I almost cannot believe when I complete a piece.
Since I had my daughter in 2014, it has been even harder to find time to sit and work. Although parenting is a wonderful and incomparable experience, it is a 24-hour commitment. I suffer from lack of time and sleep and being unfocused. Finding five minutes to sit in front of the piano here and there, staying up late or getting up early, or staying up late AND getting up early depends on her sleeping schedule – scavenging for time to write and stay focused has been a real challenge for me.
Sometimes I cannot write anything for a few weeks. And one day I think I hear something, and write it down, and the next day I think it does not sound as good as I thought yesterday, and after two weeks, I would come back to that melody and feel it is pretty nice. Three days later, I would say, “This is awful!” I would be stressed out, feel miserable for a few days. Then a “good day” comes and I am able to catch a few magical notes in the air. That makes me so happy until I become miserable again, which would be the next day. A “good day” does not come so often. But despite my agony, “bad days” are necessary to endure in order to have a “good day” from time to time. After feeling gloomy from not being able to write any notes for many days, I suddenly find myself lost in the music that I am writing. It starts to grow its own personality and follows me around all the time, and I feel as if I am with someone who is very close to me. I feel a connection with the piece, and we are attached to each other until it changes its mind and starts acting as a stranger again.
Although I love the freedom of composing, and composing makes me feel that I am free to create what I want to, it is very easy to settle in with an idea or phrase that I feel should work. Once I get trapped in the “this is going to be a masterpiece” syndrome, I start circling, and I notice that I stop trying to hear those magical melodies in the air anymore. There are many obstacles to overcome: feeling the need to utilize certain “cool” techniques, not being able to let go of an idea that does not work in context, and the pressure to finish a piece by a deadline. It is a perpetual struggle to escape from all the things that tie me down, and to keep pushing myself to step out from my comfort zone. For me, composing is an endless journey for finding something real. In order to keep pressing on, I would continually tell myself that music does not need to be impressive, but should be completely honest. It might not end up being so great of a piece of music after all, but the experience of writing absolutely honest music is the most precious thing to me. And more times than not, but utilizing this process, the end result is something I’m truly satisfied with, and sometimes even love.
About the Author:
Asuka Kakitani is a composer, arranger, and conductor. She is the founder of the Asuka Kakitani Jazz Orchestra (AKJO). Their 2013 debut album ”Bloom”was selected as one of the best albums on the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, All About Jazz, Lucid Culture, and DownBeat Magazine. Her awards include the BMI Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, the Manny Albam Commission, and artist grants from the American Music Center, Brooklyn Arts Fund, and the Jerome Fund for New Music from the American Composers Forum.
Anthony Branker discusses some approaches to composition when you’re looking for inspiration including how Copland’s approach, physicality, theory, and the world around us.
Editor’s note: At various times throughout my tenure as ISJAC blog curator, and scheduled blogging artist fell through late in the game for any number of reasons, so in that case I would often step in to supply a blog for that month. It’s perhaps poetic that for my penultimate curated blog, I am once more in this position. I promise I did not conspire to do this at a time that coincided with the release of my new album, but here you go. During the pandemic, I, like most of you, was trying to investigate ways I might move forward as an artist once we would all be able to play music together again. For me, part of this came out of regularly playing informally with some friends in my little town of Northfield, Minnesota. Both of these guys had very different musical training than me, but they had an understanding of the electronic side of things that I had never investigated. So in our collective improvisations, I started to experiment with a delay/loop pedal. Now I’ve heard countless horn players utilizing electronics over the years, none more notable to me than one of my most important improvisational influences, trombonist Hal Crook. But I had long resisted going down the pedal rabbit hole, partially because of expense, but also I thought I had enough to focus on as a trombonist/composer/bandleader/etc., that I just didn’t see it as practical to add another dimension to what I was doing musically. But this new sonic experience and the feedback I started to receive when using this new technique on live gigs awakened an interest I had long avoided. When I began to explore these electronic possibilities more deeply, I was concerned I was kind of a poser with so many experienced guitarists…
Yuhan Su discusses works from her upcoming album using electronics, the theme of duality in orchestration, and bringing cultural dualities into musical form.
Working through a brief history of Cuban big band writing, Elio Villafranca discusses the influence of traditional cuban rhythms and more on his writing.
Vijay Iyer talks about interweaving of performance and composing, the impact of collaborators, and touches on grief’s impact while composing in this interview.
Frank Carlberg discusses techniques he uses to open up harmonic possibilities for new works with a particular focus on triads, tetrachods, and other harmonic devices.
I am honored to have this opportunity to share some of my thoughts on what guides my practice as a composer and the types of strategies I have used. All my thanks to JC Sanford and Jim McNeely for thinking about me as a potential contributor to this ISJAC artist blog. Since I am probably not someone whose work most of you are familiar with, I really appreciate the chance to introduce you to some of my music within the context of this presentation.
In my own composing and when working with students, I often use a variety of conceptual exercises or problem-solving approaches that can lead to a different kind of envisioning and help move away from those comfortable habits we might fall into. I tend to find inspiration from a wide variety of methods that are both musical and non-musical. Some of these might include:
The Sounds and Colors of Modality
Melodic Lyricism
Going to Rhythmic Places
Using Freer Approaches to Music-Making
The Bigger Picture: Life Experiences, Spirituality & Social Consciousness
However, the driving force behind all of this is the understanding that I am writing with the listener in mind.
Connecting with the Listener
When writing, I am always trying to find ways to forge a relationship with the listener and engage with them on some level. While it might sound a little strange, I don’t really write specifically for a “jazz” listener in mind. I am actually thinking more about the everyday or general listener – someone that may be coming to the listening experience with a lack of familiarity with or exposure to jazz or music that involves a more active listening approach. With that said, I try to find ways to bring them into the music by connecting with them or meeting them where they are in order to provide them with a feeling of participation.
We all tend to listen to music in different ways and for different reasons, and we listen from many perspectives and levels of engagement. As composer Aaron Copland notes in his book What to Listen for in Music (1939/1967), “Besides the pleasurable sound of music and the expressive feeling that it gives off” (references to his concepts of the sensuous and expressive planes of music listening), it is on the sheerly musical plane “where music exists in terms of the notes themselves and their manipulation.” Here, we consider how such elements as melody, harmony, timbre, rhythm, and form are used in a piece of music. Now, musicians can find themselves a bit preoccupied with this level of listening and often have the inclination to be too analytical when interacting with the music. If we examine the experience of the general listener on this same plane, they are usually quite comfortable connecting with the elements of melody and rhythm because they can identify with them more than the others. If you think about it, we are essentially conditioned from a very young age to interact with music through singing melodies and recognizing melody within a song. Consequently, melody is the means by which most people seem to relate to music.
Rhythm, I would offer, is what listeners often respond to in a very physical or visible way when experiencing music. When we perceive rhythm, we do so with the help of patterns of sound occurring over time that can serve as a source of organization. Rhythm can also be a “kinesthetic thing” that can trigger the listener to interact with what they are hearing through movement. This might be due to the sensation of particular rhythmic groupings or how meter is used or the feeling of “groove” they are connecting with.
Recognizing the power that melody and rhythm can have when it comes to reaching and bringing all manner of listeners into our musical world, my writing aims to explore lyrical melodic content within different types of modal and non-harmonic settings; musical ideas with strong rhythmic identities; and the utilization of groove with its infectious nature. I also use tone rows and pitch sets, but try to put all of these techniques into practice in meaningful, “bigger picture” ways.
Modal Approaches
My introduction to the world of modal harmony changed my thinking and my approach to creating music forever!! Though I had already found these sounds appealing and thought-provoking when I was in high school and college, I really didn’t know how to make sense out of what I was hearing, which was so different from the bebop-derived music I had been checking out during this period. It was when I attended the University of Miami Frost School of Music for the master’s program in jazz pedagogy that I had the chance to study with composer Ron Miller who helped me develop a better understanding of the music from multiple perspectives and who constantly inspired me!!
I find there are so many conceptual positives when using the modal harmonic language. First of all, there is a certain sense of freedom that seems to automatically accompany its use. When it comes to organizing the flow of chord progression movement, modal harmony doesn’t require the use of the types of restrictive chordal root movement that are driven by the dominant-to-tonic relationship found in functional harmony (i.e. V7-I; ii-V7-I; iii-VI7-ii-V7, etc.). With that said, the bass motion can now be more melodic in character and less functional in the traditional sense.
I also view the modal language as one that facilitates a more visual approach to creating music. The spectrum of modal harmonies, which are derived from the major, ascending melodic minor, harmonic minor, harmonic major, and melodic minor #5 parent scales (as well as the use of non-harmonic, symmetrical scale systems) offers a range of colors to draw from and, subsequently, the ability to imagine creating music from a more visual or cinematic perspective.
In addition, this approach has the added benefit of making use of the types of “moods” that can be associated with certain modal chord colors as a way of organizing the compositional flow and intent (i.e. hearing Phrygian as “mysterious,” Ionian as “relaxed, peaceful, soothing,” Lydian-Augmented as “quite aggressive or frantic/panicky”; of course these can all be seen as subjective descriptions as there will frequently be different kinds of mood associations and the context in which these sounds appear will also impact one’s perception). The modal approach also offers a very flexible harmonic language that is adaptable for use with many music genres or styles (classical, Latin, contemporary popular music, funk, Brazilian, R&B) in addition to jazz.
Finally, it promotes individuality of expression, accommodates both lyrical and virtuosic writing sensibilities, encourages experimenting with form and flow, and can undoubtedly add to one’s harmonic/melodic palette as a composer and improviser. A wonderful resource that I find to be most empowering is Ron Miller’s Modal Jazz Composition & Harmony (Volumes 1 & 2) from Advance Music!!
I would like to share two examples of my writing that take place in modal harmonic settings. The first, “Many Roads Beneath the Sky,” is actually a piece where the melody came to me in a nearly completed form almost immediately after I sat down at the piano and began exploring (this is not usually the case with me!). In this instance, it was the melody that would go on to determine the modal harmonic framework.
The second example, “Sundown Town,” was shaped by written directions for creating a modal harmonic scheme to be used to guide the realization of the harmonic progression for this piece. The melody and development of the composition’s formal structure (see Example #3) came later. I also use this approach with my students in an effort to offer guidance on creating progressions for writing projects. Interestingly, what I have found here is that ten students could use the exact same text description and the result will be the realization of ten completely different works (I mean, no two pieces are ever similar!!). The title of this composition refers to the segregated “sundown towns,” in which a municipality or neighborhood in the United States was intentionally all-white and excluded people of color who were met with intimidation, discriminatory laws, and violence. The term is derived from posted signs warning people of color to leave the town by sundown.
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Rhythm & Groove
In my own writing, as I have shared earlier, it’s all about rhythmic engagement in an effort to connect with the listener and allow them to feel like a participant in this process. To accomplish this, I am always considering such notions as groove, rhythmic interaction, rhythmic identity, using metric variety to play with the listener’s expectations, and that potential kinesthetic impact – making the body want to move!
“Let’s Conversate” was strongly influenced by the infectious spirit of funk music, which was so much a part of my life as a teenager and young musician when coming up. It is a composition that is conversational in nature and highlights the independence of musical voices, each with its own story to tell, which interact with each other in musical dialogue. The piece is based on two tetrachords that, when linked by a whole step, create the seventh mode of the harmonic minor scale, which is known as the “Altered bb7 mode” (this involves both the “Spanish Phrygian” tetrachord = C-Db-Eb-Fb and the “Hungarian Minor” tetrachord = F#-G#-A-C). It was also inspired by the concept of minimalism and the use of specific pitch collections for constructing melodic material, piano voicings, and bass lines (all of which are comprised of notes from the aforementioned scalar pitch set).
The composition incorporates displaced rhythmic stress to provide a sense of uncertainty as to the actual meter or “groove” being used. It is largely organized around 7/4 meter (4/4 + 3/4) for the introduction, exposition, and the tenor saxophone/trombone N.C. (No Chord) solo exchanges. However, a slightly altered bass line is introduced during this solo section that was meant to move the listener away from the original metric subdivision pattern to now emphasize a much different subdivision of 4/4 + 3/4 + 4/4 + 3/4 + 4/4 + 2/4 + 4/4 + 4/4. The tenor saxophone/trombone phrase trading then leads to a collective improvisation in a “Crazy Frenetic Madness” section in 4/4 – an even more tense and dissonant polychordal area that involves three superimposed chord structures (Ab minor/major 7 over Gb minor/major 7 over Eb major), which would not really be considered the traditional way of achieving release from tonal tension. A contrast in meter is introduced for the piano solo (moving to 4/4) as well as a different bass line; this solo also culminates in the “Crazy Frenetic Madness” section.
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Composing Using Tone Rows
I also like to challenge the listener to step outside of their comfort zones, but in doing so, I always try to ground that experience with some sort of interaction with the areas they may be most comfortable with – melody/lyricism and rhythm. A good example of this would be my composition “Placeless” from the upcoming What Place Can Be For Us? release on Origin Records. The melody is based on a series of 12-tone rows with the exception coming at the end of the melodic exposition where a pitch set of six notes is repeated several times as part of a melodic motive (see Example #8). While this may sound super academic and a recipe for a dry musical offering, it is the angular funk vibe and feeling of shifting rhythmic grooves based on phrases that are asymmetric in length that serves the purpose of meeting the listener where they are, catching their attention, and bringing them into this musical experience.
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Pitch Sets
In addition to tone rows, I use pitch sets or smaller groupings of pitches (as was recently mentioned) and then manipulate that material through inversions, retrograde, and shuffling sets. I also play around with rhythm in similar kinds of ways by creating rhythmic sets and using retrograde to reimagine rhythmic patterns. Sometimes in these cases, the harmonic foundation might be modal in flavor with “Dance Like No One is Watching” from the Uppity recording and “Joy” and “Loving Day (June 12)” from the recording Beauty Within, as examples of this. However, I still try to approach all of this with a strong sense of melodic lyricism and rhythmic awareness in mind; even if you might hear some crazy kinds of ideas “up in there.”
The Bigger Picture: Life, Spirituality & Social Consciousness
Putting techniques into practice in meaningful ways
My work as a composer also explores issues of social consciousness and addresses themes of social justice, equality, race, intolerance, hate, prejudice, gender, ethnicity, humanity, politics of representation, spirituality, and “place” in society, all in an effort to provide opportunities for all of us to gain a deeper awareness and understanding of these issues, each other, and ourselves.
In recognition of a significant legal ruling that impacted my family in profound ways, I wrote the composition “Loving Day (June 12),” which is named for the day in 1967 when the Supreme Court of the United States effectively struck down the anti-miscegenation laws that existed in sixteen states. The case before the court, “Loving vs Virginia” involved the interracial married couple of Mildred and Richard Loving who were subsequently arrested and forced to move out of Virginia. The Lovings brought the case to then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and it was later referred to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), which represented them. Several years later, the Supreme Court unanimously voted the law unconstitutional. This composition is dedicated to my grandparents John & Mary Hulnik who were, respectively, of Polish and Trinidadian descent, and who helped raise me from the late 1950s until the end of the 1970s. I also dedicated this piece to my Uncle Mervyn Guy Carmichael & Aunt Rita Carmichael, who were from Trinidad and Germany.
The upcoming What Place Can Be For Us? release is a 10-movement suite that speaks to notions of “Place” and the overarching issues of inclusion, belonging, place as an emotional space of being, finding one’s place in a socially stratified society, as well as circumstances of exploitation and zones of refuge experienced by people of color and other global citizens.
“Sunken Place” is a composition inspired by Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed film, “Get Out” and his reference to the sunken place. In the words of Peele it is: “the system that silences the voice of women, minorities, and of other people…the sunken place is the President (Trump) who calls athletes sons of bitches for expressing their beliefs on the field…Every day there is proof that we are in the sunken place.” In a statement made on Twitter, Peele explained, “the Sunken Place means we’re marginalized. No matter how hard we scream, the system silences us.”
As we all know, composing is a multifaceted activity with so many ways available to us to awaken our creative thoughts and actions beyond those I have shared. Yet, I do hope some of the approaches presented here manage to resonate and possibly inspire you in some small way. These are strategies that have served as sources of stimulation and have opened up the creative process for me while also helping me to move away from those predictable or comfortable habits I would fall into when composing. Thanks so very much for reading and for listening to the music!!
About the Author:
Composer, conductor, and bandleader Anthony Branker is an Origin Records recording artist who was named in Down Beat magazine’s 63rd & 62nd Annual Critics Poll as a “Rising Star Composer.” Dr. Branker has eight releases in his fast growing and musically rich discography that have featured Ralph Bowen, Fabian Almazan, Linda May Han Oh, Rudy Royston, Pete McCann, David Binney, Conrad Herwig, Jim Ridl, Kenny Davis, Donald Edwards, Mark Gross, Tia Fuller, Steve Wilson, Antonio Hart, Clifford Adams, Andy Hunter, Bryan Carrott, Eli Asher, Jonny King, Freddie Bryant, John Benitez, Belden Bullock, Adam Cruz, Ralph Peterson Jr., Wilby Fletcher, Renato Thoms, Alison Crockett, and Kadri Voorand.
In 2023, Origin Records will reissue Branker’s Spirit Songs project featuring drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr. and release his most recent project What Place Can Be For Us? – a 10-movement suite that speaks to the overarching issues of inclusion, belonging, place as an emotional space of being, as well as circumstances of exploitation and zones of refuge experienced by people of color and other global citizens. It will feature tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, trumpeter Philip Dizack, alto & soprano saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf, guitarist Pete McCann, pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Linda May Han Oh, drummer Donald Edwards, and vocalist Alison Crockett.
Branker was a Third Place Winner in the 2021 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) in the jazz category, has received commissions, served as a visiting composer, and has had his music featured in performance in Poland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, France, Estonia, Russia, Australia, China, Germany, Lithuania, and Japan. During his residency at the Estonian Academy of Music & Theatre in Tallinn, Branker composed The Eesti Jazz Suite, a five-movement work inspired by the culture and the spirit of the people of Estonia. The work was premiered in 2006 at the academy of music as part of the concert tour of the Princeton University Jazz Composers Collective, which was sponsored by the Department of State of the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Estonia, and the Estonian Academy of Music. Dr. Branker’s works have also been performed and/or recorded by the New Wind Jazz Orchestra, Sylvan Winds with Max Pollack Dance Ensemble, Composers Concordance Big Band, Princeton University Orchestra, Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble, and the Rutgers Avant Garde Ensemble.
Dr. Anthony Branker was on the faculty at Princeton University for 27 years, where he held an endowed chair in jazz studies and was founding director of the program in jazz studies until his retirement in 2016. Currently, he is on the jazz studies faculty at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts where his teaching responsibilities include graduate and undergraduate courses and ensembles. Branker has also served as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the Estonian Academy of Music & Theatre and has been a member of the faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, Hunter College (CUNY), and Ursinus College.
Montreal-based saxophonist, composer and conductor Christine Jensen has been described as an original voice on the international jazz scene, while being regarded as one of Canada’s most compelling composers. She is a recent winner of the Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Rising Star Big Band, Arranger, and Soprano Saxophonist, as well as being a recipient of the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s 2017 Oscar Peterson Prize. She currently leads her own jazz orchestra as well as other diverse ensemble projects featuring her saxophone playing. “Jensen writes in three dimensions, with a quiet kind of authority that makes the many elements cohere. Wayne Shorter, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler come to mind.” –Downbeat. 
