Charles Brackeen (born March 13, 1940 in

Eufaula, Oklahoma Eufaula is a city and county seat of McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,813 at the 2010 census, an increase of 6.6 percent from 2,639 in 2000. Eufaula is in the southern part of the county, north of McAlester and ...

, United States; died November 5, 2021,

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

) was an American jazz saxophonist who primarily played

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

, but also played

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

. He was previously married to pianist

Joanne Brackeen Joanne Brackeen (born Joanne Grogan; July 26, 1938) is an American jazz pianist and music educator. Music career Brackeen was born in Ventura, California, United States, and attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She was a fan of pop p ...

, with whom he had four children. Brackeen originally studied violin and piano before switching to saxophone at the age of 10. He played in a recording with members of the

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

Quartet in 1968 and on

Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group, founded by Carla Bley and Michael Mantler in 1965, to perform orchestral avant-garde jazz. Its origins lay in the Jazz Composers Guild, an organization founded by Bill Dixon which grew out ...

recordings by

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

(1973), Leroy Jenkins (1975), and

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the l ...

for ECM (1978 and 1979). He recorded again as a leader in 1987, when he recorded three albums for

Silkheart Records Silkheart Records is a Sweden, Swedish record company and record label, label dedicated to improvised music and free jazz. Lars-Olof Gustavsson and Keith Knox founded Silkheart in 1985 in music, 1985. In 1991, Jimmy Johnson of Forced Exposure su ...

Discography

As Leader

* ''

Rhythm X Rhythm X, Inc. is a non-profit music education organization that operates a competitive indoor percussion ensemble and wind ensemble, as well as an online school for marching music called The X Academy. The company was founded in 2002 by Craig D ...

'' ( Strata-East, 1968) * ''

Bannar Bannar ( fa, بن نر) is a village in Gowharan Rural District (Hormozgan Province), Gowharan Rural District, Gowharan District, Bashagard County, Hormozgan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 150, in 36 families. References ...

'' (

, 1987) * '' Attainment'' (Silkheart, 1987) * '' Worshippers Come Nigh'' (Silkheart, 1987)

As sideman

;with

Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah (born Leroy Bland; May 10, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter who was a prominent member of Sun Ra's band. Biography He began playing the trumpet at age 13 in his native New York City. One of the first groups he performed with wa ...

*''

Liquid Magic ''Liquid Magic'' is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah's Quartet featuring saxophonist Charles Brackeen, bassist Malachi Favors, and drummer Alvin Fielder which was recorded in 1987 and released on the Swedish Silkheart label.

'' (Silheart, 1987) ;with

*'' Relativity Suite'' (JCOA, 1973) ;with

Dennis González Dennis González, often credited Dennis Gonzalez (August 15, 1954March 15, 2022), was an American jazz trumpeter, artist, and educator from Texas. He hosted ''Miles Out'' on KERA-FM for over twenty years. Early life González was born in Abil ...

* ''

Namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

'' (Silkheart, 1987) * ''Debenge, Debenge'' (Silkheart, 1988) * ''The Desert Wind'' (Silkheart, 1989) ;with

Ronald Shannon Jackson Ronald Shannon Jackson (January 12, 1940 – October 19, 2013) was an American jazz drummer from Fort Worth, Texas. A pioneer of avant-garde jazz, free funk, and jazz fusion, he appeared on over 50 albums as a bandleader, sideman, arranger, and ...

's Decoding Society * ''Eye On You'' (About Time, 1980) * ''Nasty'' (Moers Music, 1981) ;with Leroy Jenkins * ''

For Players Only ''For Players Only'' is a live album by violinist and composer Leroy Jenkins, his first as a leader. It was recorded in January 1975 at Wollman Auditorium, Columbia University in New York City, and was released by JCOA Records later that year. On ...

'' (JCOA, 1975) ;with Melodic Art-Tet * '' Melodic Art–Tet'' (NoBusiness, 1974 013 ;with

* ''

Dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

'' (ECM, 1977) * ''

Le Voyage ''Le Voyage'' is the fourth album by Paul Motian to be released on the ECM (record label), ECM label. It was released in 1979 and features performances by Motian with bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark and saxophonist Charles Brackeen. Reception ...

'' (ECM, 1979) ;with William Parker * ''

Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace ''Through Acceptance of the Mystery Peace'' is an album by bassist William Parker (musician), William Parker, his debut as a leader. It was recorded during 1974–1979, and was initially released on LP in limited quantities by Parker's Centering la ...

'' (Centering Records, 1974–79)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brackeen, Ch 1940 births 2021 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Strata-East Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians People from Eufaula, Oklahoma