Alphonso Archer

Alphonso Archer is a musician, composer, and improviser whose music exists in the liminal space between structure and freedom, past and present, grief and transformation. A multi-instrumentalist with a deep love for jazz, classical, and experimental soundscapes, his work spans decades—playing in everything from heavy metal and funk to pop and avant-garde jazz.

His journey took a profound turn in 2016, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a severe brain condition. Music became both a refuge and a form of resilience. While recovering, he recorded his debut album, Formula for Life (2017), a fusion of R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Pop, reflecting his belief in the power of thought, positivity, and self-determination.

Beyond performance, Alphonso has dedicated his career to working with children and adults with autism and mental health challenges, using music to unlock potential, build confidence, and nurture creativity. His latest project in collaboration with saxophonist Matthew Jenkins, Liminal Spaces, was born from pure improvisation—an intuitive response to grief, historical trauma, and shifting global landscapes, blending piano, saxophone, and guitar, into an expressive sonic journey.

His music is for those drawn to the unspoken conversations that happen in sound—the raw, the unresolved, the deeply felt.