Alex Paxton?

[JSngry]

A new name to me, but apparently getting a lot of composing commissions. I bought his new one, Delicious, the other day via Bandcamp, and it's gotten me to explore more and then buy more.

Gotta say, the initial reactions are one of excitement, like genuinely 21st Century music (which is not to say it's ungrounded in any way). A LOT of stuff happening at once, but it all makes sense and holds together.

No discussion on him here...anybody know of him?

[JSngry]

 

[Rabshakeh]

New to me but listening briefly to the start of Delicious it seems very exciting. Something that is actual new.

In the old days this would have been played on Radio 3. 

[JSngry]

https://alexpaxtonmusic.com/

https://www.rayfieldallied.com/artists/alex-paxton

Not bashful!

Seems like he leads as a jazz trombonist but his output is composition. Perhaps more heard in "classical" circles?

I hear, in part, the spirits of Carla Bley and Frank Zappa (minus the misanthropy).

I'm initially excited. We'll see how long that lasts. But right now, yes.

[Rabshakeh]

I hear a lot of Zappa but also Zorn, plus some classic big band arrangement flourishes but definitely in a compositional context. 

It seems new and fresh at least? Not all great but new and fresh. I'm really impressed by it so than you for introducing. 

[JSngry]

You're welcome!

I hear it like that too + Carla Bley. 

 

[randyhersom]

Also worth checking out:

Femenine | Julius Eastman | frozen reeds

 

 

 

[Rabshakeh]

Julius Eastman, I know, at least. 

[mjazzg]

That Frozen Reeds seemed to kick start a bit of an Eastman revival or is that just my imagination 

[JSngry]

 

[T.D.]

On 5/24/2025 at 10:26 PM, JSngry said:

A new name to me, but apparently getting a lot of composing commissions. I bought his new one, Delicious, the other day via Bandcamp, and it's gotten me to explore more and then buy more.

Gotta say, the initial reactions are one of excitement, like genuinely 21st Century music (which is not to say it's ungrounded in any way). A LOT of stuff happening at once, but it all makes sense and holds together.

No discussion on him here...anybody know of him?

Never heard of him until now. I've gotta demur for the moment. His wiki page dropped the term "New Complexity", which is an area I spent some time on 20-30 years ago but wound up throughly disliking. Couldn't make it through much of the first clip because it reminded me of a Richard Barrett piece (Vanity) that I once had on CD but culled. Listened to bits of others, and Paxton at least has playfulness and a sense of humo(u)r, which are qualities lacking in N. C. KInd of enjoyed the (mostly) chamber piece, but overall I'm not much into his soundworld yet.

 

2 hours ago, mjazzg said:

That Frozen Reeds seemed to kick start a bit of an Eastman revival or is that just my imagination 

IMO there definitely was a big Eastman revival involving a lot of performers, groups and composers. Never thought about what kicked it off, that's an interesting theory. 

Edited May 26 by T.D.

[JSngry]

This absurd. That's a compliment.

[T.D.]

That one's pretty good.

[JSngry]

So I get and email from New Amsterdam records today that tells me:

Alex Paxton releases Delicious to critical acclaim

"Extremely accessible in its tuneful generosity, astonishing formal rigor, sophistication, and an unerring ear for pop hooks. A seriously entertaining and invigorating activity."

—Bandcamp Daily

One of The best classical albums of 2025 so far / 4 stars—The Sunday Times

"wild, untrammeled, odd, enticing, and turned up to 11. This is the indecent sweetness of Jelly Babies."—ARTS desk

"Paxton wears his blissful mania on his brightly coloured sleeve...journey into the frenetic and the ridiculous...incessantly joyful album, bold and catchy." —Jazz Times

So is this dude popular now?

[T.D.]

20 minutes ago, JSngry said:

 

So is this dude popular now?

By the standards of the genre in which he works (let's say "new music" / "contemporary classical") I'd say "Yes".

Sunday (London, I presume) Times review ain't chopped liver.

He's recorded for NMC, also indicating a level of acceptance by the UK music establishment.

And I'll optimistically infer that performing at Cafe Oto (which IMO is extremely cool for a "classical" composer) plus the Bandcamp blurb shows some popularity with audiences.

[JSngry]

Is it ok to still like him? I only have the one record, but two more are on the way.

Maybe I'm just doomed to be behind the curve for the rest of my life. 

Damn this aging thing...

I mean, freaking JAZZ TIMES is ahead of me on this one. AARGH!!!!

[T.D.]

Don't ask me...I've almost always been way way behind the curve. 🤣

There were a few years when I was reasonably in touch with the New York-centric "new music" scene, but that was when I lived nearby and went to a lot of events.

IMO "the curve" often has a big degree of regionality. Someone UK- (probably more specifically London-) based would be a more reliable judge.

[mjazzg]

London based, Oto semi-regular attendee but very regular viewer of their programme, occasional NMC purchaser/listener and I have never heard of the bloke until this discussion.

[Hoppy T. Frog]

I saw him at the 2024 Long Play festival in Brooklyn and immediately bought all the stuff I could find. It definitely, to me, is a cut above all of the usual 3rd generation watered-down minimalism and lazy "ambient" that mostly gets the art grants theese days for "new music".