In doing my research for this evening's show, I happened upon some samples of some free jazz, and some other forms of avant guarde music. Of course, the definition of what is truly "avant guarde" differs from person to person, and from situation (Beethoven was probably avant guarde for his time; Debussy was certainly an avant guarde composer, in a comparative manner, relative to what was going on around him at the time, and Satie even more so). But there are a few good, quality examples of composers and performers who truly epitomized the term avant guarde, who set the standard for what we consider the "outer limits" of music, which in turn sets a standard for much of the music we hear today. Heavy metal and hardcore, in particular, owe a significant debt to the work of the avant guardists and their experiments in dissonance and the application of atonality to music.
So tonight, we shall explore the furthest reaches of our musical galaxy, the Avant Guarde. I hope you enjoy the trip as much as I do.
Composer's name is listed where notable (i.e. Classical Performance, Jazz Performance).
Links are to Artist's Home Page, if one exists, or to a quality source of information. Otherwise, link is to Yahoo Search for information about the composer, performer, or other related information.
| Composer | Performer | Title | Genre | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Coltrane Quartet (-w- McCoy Tyner (p), Jimmy Garrison (b), Elvin Jones (d)) | A Love Supreme (in 4 parts: Acknowledgement, Resolution, Pursuance, and Psalm) | Jazz, '60s | Impulse, 1964 | ||
| The Ornette Coleman Double Quartet (-w- Ornette Coleman (as), Don Cherry (t), Scott La Faro (b), Billy Higgins (d), Eric Dolphy (bass clarinet), Freddie Hubbard (t), Charlie Haden (b), Ed Blackwell (d) | Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation by the Ornette Coleman Double Quartet | Jazz, '60s, Free Jazz | Atlantic, 1961 | One quartet, led by Coleman, heard on the left speaker, 2nd quartet, led by Dolphy, heard on the right speaker, playing improvisationally | |
| Alban Berg | Deutches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, con; -w- Bridgitte Balleys, sop. | Five songs on picture postcard texts by Peter Altenberg, Op. 4 | Classical, 20th Century, 2nd Viennese School, Avant Guarde | London, 1993 | Premiere of the work on March 31, 1913 caused a riot in the auditorium; Berg was a student of Arnold Schoenberg, and as such is considered part of the "2nd Viennese School", along with Schoenberg and Anton Webern. |
| Krysztof Penderecki, directing the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra | De Natura Sonoris No. 1 | Classical, 20th Century, Avant Guarde | EMI, 1994 | written in 1966 | |
| Peter Brötzmann (tenor sax/baritone sax), -w- Willem Breuker (ts/bass clarinet), Evan Parker (ts), Fred Van Hove (p), Peter Kowald (b), Buschi Niebergall (b), Han Bennink (d), Sven-Ake Johansson (d) | Machine Gun (second take) | Jazz, Free | FMP, 1968 | drummer Han Bennink played on Eric Dolphy's last recording, "Last Date"; good biographies and discographies of all the players on this recording can be found at www.allmusic.com | |
Last Update: January 17th, 2005
Email: saxman@siu.edu