AVANT GARDE
The 1960s in America were filled with social unrest, with protests against oppression and racial discrimination. The "avant garde," (translation: "advance group") as with other musical styles, reflected the social and political climate of the time. Avant garde, a term used synonymously in the 1960s with "free" jazz, first gained recognition in 1958 through saxophonist Ornette Coleman, as well as other pioneers including pianists Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra. The avant garde challenged the listener by allowing the musician to choose his own musical path rather than follow the traditional approaches to which jazz musicians had previously adhered. All aspects of the music were at the discretion of the improviser. The music often transcended recognizable pitches and musical shapes, allowing moans, shrieks, and cries to convey the energy and emotional discourse of the individual musician. In 1960 Ornette Coleman made his revolutionary "Free Jazz" recording featuring collective improvisation between double quartets. Although collective improvisation became a major component within the avant garde movement with recordings including Coltrane's "Ascension," and "Om," the concept of group improvisation dates back to early New Orleans jazz at the turn of the 20th Century. As early as the mid-1950s, jazz musicians including Charles Mingus with his recording "Pithecanthropus Erectus," began re-introducing collective improvisation into modern jazz. In 1959, Miles Davis introduced modal jazz into the mainstream with his composition "So What," allowing the soloist more freedom to explore new ideas by simplifying the chord changes. Saxophonist John Coltrane took on the role of "father figure" in the '60s, bringing exposure to younger avant garde musicians including saxophonists Eric Dolphy, Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, and Albert Ayler. Coltrane would spend the rest of his short life expressing himself musically through the avant garde, also labeled the "new thing" movement. In the 1960s and '70s, Chicago developed an avant garde scene led by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams. In 1965 he founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, whose members eventually included saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Chico Freeman, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Avant garde styles practiced today can be found in the work of musicians including saxophonists Steve Coleman and David S. Ware. New York City's "downtown" scene headquartered at the Knitting Factory is also a breeding ground for new and experimental music. The musicians in that sphere, such as saxophonists John Zorn and Tim Berne, trumpeter Dave Douglas, drummer Joey Baron, and violinist Mark Feldman, have helped to reshape new directions for the avant garde.
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