Braxton Cook

Braxton Cook (born March 27, 1991) is an American alto saxophonist and singer-songwriter. He has toured with jazz musicians Christian Scott, Christian McBride, and Marquis Hill, and performed with Jon Batiste, Mac Miller, and Rihanna. In 2017, Fader named Cook a "jazz prodigy," and in 2018, Ebony listed him as one of the "top five jazz artists to watch."

In 2011, Cook transferred to the Juilliard School, where he studied jazz saxophone with Ron Blake and Steve Wilson.

In 2019, Cook performed alongside Jon Batiste on the soundtrack for Pixar's Soul, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. He has also appeared as a sideman in Tiny Desk concerts featuring Christian Scott in 2015, Tom Misch in 2018, Phony Ppl in 2019, and Amaarae in 2023. In February 2025, after returning to NPR to lead an in-person Tiny Desk Concert alongside his backing band, Cook was described by NPR's Ashley Pointer as a "Tiny Desk all-star".

Cook's former Juilliard roommate Jahaan Sweet used a vocal sample from Cook in the production of "Lavender Haze", the opening track on Taylor Swift's 2022 studio album Midnights. Cook was credited as an additional producer on the track, which he did not hear until the album was released. Cook and Sweet had previously collaborated on the production of the song "Tryna Be" from Giveon's 2022 studio album Give or Take.

In December 2022, Cook announced the release of his fifth full-length studio album Who Are You When No One Is Watching on February 24, 2023, on Nettwerk. BET listed the album as one of the most anticipated releases of 2023. On August 29, 2025, he released his sixth studio album, Not Everyone Can Go.

In February 2026, he was credited as a saxophone player for Theodora’s "" single . The single made it to the SNEP Top 20 Singles chart for its first week. The single achieved Gold certification in France just three months after its release.

Discography

Studio albums Braxton Cook Meets Butcher Brown (self-released, 2015) Somewhere in Between (Fresh Selects, 2017) Somewhere in Between: Remixes & Outtakes (Fresh Selects, 2018) No Doubt (self-released, 2018) Fire Sign (self-released, 2020) Who Are You When No One Is Watching (Nettwerk, 2023) Not Everyone Can Go (Nettwerk, 2025)

Extended plays

Sketch (self-released, 2014) Like You Used To (self-released, 2018) Black Mona Lisa (self-released, 2022)