Acknowledgements
My sincere and heartfelt thanks go to:
Anthony Braxton, for your music, generosity, and your ability to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to be relentlessly creative. This five-year long deepdive into your musical universe profoundly changed my understanding of music and what it means to be a musician. I will always cherish our memorable encounters and conversations, whether in Luxemburg, Antwerp, or while driving around Darmstadt in an old Honda "Jazz."
Hugo De Craen, a tremendous supporter and walking encyclopedia of creative music, as well as a dear friend of Anthony. You supported my research from its earliest stages, granting me access to your vast personal archive at your beautiful home in Edegem, where you and your wife Gerd always welcomed me warmly. Your sudden passing in June 2021 was a complete shock. We celebrated your memory with Anthony at DE SINGEL in Antwerp the following year. The Ghost Trance Septet album and the Darmstadt conference were dedicated to you. Much of this research was made possible thanks to you and Gerd, who continued to allow me access to your archive over the past two years.
The Tri-Centric Foundation, especially Kyoko Kitamura, for your inspiring pedagogy and encouraging feedback when I first started this research, and Carl Testa for guiding me through the TCF archive and providing necessary information and scores.
Lydia Rilling, who invited the Ghost Trance Septet to perform at the Rainy Days Festival in Luxemburg as early as 2020. Although the concert had to be postponed to 2021 due to COVID, it remained an important milestone in my research and led to a memorable evening and encounter with Anthony himself.
Thomas Schaeffer and the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, for helping me realize the first international Anthony Braxton conference in Darmstadt, organizing a Creative Orchestra workshop with Anthony, and supporting the collaboration with Ictus and Rosas. These two weeks were such a powerful experience which I will cherish for a long time to come.
DE SINGEL International Arts Center, especially music programmer Chloë Herteleer, the Inspiratum Fund, the FWO and the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp (with its fierce and fearless student-Creative Orchestra!) for making possible the incredible event "Anthony Braxton's Gambit" on June 5, 2022, at DE SINGEL in Antwerp.
The many artistic collaborators I was fortunate to encounter during this research who left their musical mark, starting with the incredible dream team of musicians in the Ghost Trance Septet: Elisa Medinilla, Teun Verbruggen, Niels Van Heertum, Steven Delannoye, Anna Jalving, and Frederik Sakham, as well as Winnie Huang, João Lobo, and Hampus Lindwall (for EEMHM).
The musicians of the Plus-Minus ensemble and their directors, Matthew Shlomowitz, Mark Knoop, and Vicky Wright, for trusting me to bring GTM to the UK. We kicked it about and fun was certainly had!
The Ictus ensemble, especially artistic directors Tom Pauwels and Jean-Luc Plouvier, for their early recognition of my research and helping it grow into unforeseen "event spaces" of dance and the creative orchestra.
Dancers Michael Pomero and Marie Goudot for their in-depth research and limitless creative openness to connect the music to their dance practice, together with Mark Lorimer and Sophia Dinkel.
Ilan Volkov and the musicians of the Brussels Philharmonic for bravely taking the music into uncharted territories in a historic performance setting certain forces in motion.
Katherine Young, for the wonderful hangs and your contributions to the conference, the Creative Orchestra, and Ghost Trance Music performances during the Darmstadt Summer course, and for providing valuable feedback during my writing.
Timo Hoyer, for your general support and deep knowledge, which are reflected in your wonderful liner notes to the Septet album. I couldn't think of a better partner in crime for organizing the first international conference on Anthony Braxton's work!
The labels all that dust (notably Juliet Frasier, Mark Knoop, and Newton Armstrong) and el Negocito Records for offering a great platform to bring my research to a larger audience; and the Flemish Community for providing additional funds.
My supervisors Marlies De Munck, Pascal Gielen, and Miriam Overlach, for your feedback and support throughout my research.
The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, the research groups UP and CREATIE, and the University Antwerp ARIA, for making this research possible.
And last but not least, Fabienne Seveillac, my partner and love of my life, for supporting (and enduring!) my PhD work. I believe it was back in 2010, when we lived as roommates in Brooklyn, that I came across Braxton's "Charlie Parker Project" in your CD collection, one of my first encounters with his music.
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