I have to say I'm finding it incredibly hard to come up with a single answer to the OP. When you start thinking about this question I think it's easy to get hung up on people who were influential, but that isn't necessarily an indicator of who is the most innovative person out there. Innovation doesn't always translate into influence. Which brings me to one possible contender for me: Harry Partch. The guy created his own weird-ass instruments to play his weird-ass music. Hell, he even came up with his own scales and his own notes! I think he at least warrants a mention in a "most innovative" discussion.
Here's what he was doing in 1952:
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