Doing a project on Avant Garde music- anyone here knowledgeable about it?
 

So I am doing a project on Avant Garde music, its history and its affect on music in general. So far I have found a few biographies about notable musicians and have found the titles of books about Avant Garde music.

First what are the "sub genres" (might not be the most accurate term to describe them when it comes to Avant Garde) of it? OR at leas notable genres to the style. So far I have noted Free Jazz, Avant rock (or Rock in Opposition), Avant Garde Metal, and just play Avant Garde.

And who are the forefathers of the genre?

this all I think I know.
So far I have found that Edgard Varèse was a huge pioneer and so far the oldest Avant Garde artist I have found. He apparently is a huge influence to Igor Stravinsky, classical musicean very well know for is experimental rhythm and dissonant chords and have influenced many. He also apparently is worshipped by Frank Zappa, the well know Avantrock (or just experimental rock) artist.

Free Jazz was the bridge between odd classical compositions from Igor (and I assume others have done similar things) to Avant Garde as we know it today.
It was the natural progression of Jazz as many Jazz artists wanted to experiment more. John Zorn is a well know Free Jazz artist who has influenced Mike Patton.

Mike Patton, with his projects such as Mr. Bungle and Fantômas, was highly influential figure in Avant Garde in the 90's and is a huge reason why Avant rock still exists today.

Avant Garde/Avant Rock artists I listen to/know about are:

Alamaailman Vasarat
Colonel Claypool's Bucket Of Bernie Brains
Fantômas
Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention
Koenjihyakkei
Mr. Bungle
Praxis
Sebkha-chott
Secret Chiefs 3
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
Primus

Free Jazz:

John Zorn
John Coltrane (apparently he has a free jazz album or two)

Avant Garde Metal:

Ephel Duath
Unexpect
Arcturus
Solefald
Gorguts
Maudlin of the Well/Kayo Dot

Obviously I need to know more artists. Please correct any mistake I have written, I have only just started learning about this genre that I love. Thanks.

Although I would like to think i know everything (lol), for this genre Cardboard Adolescent followed by urban are your best bets for this sort of music.

I really like MAUDLIN OF THE WELL and JOHN ZORN is the chizz. Check out SAUSAGE which is Les Claypool and the original line up of Primus. I have the album RIDDLES ARE ABOUND TONIGHT.

go here
Nova-express.blogspot.com

lowercase n
not a direct link

I actually think the whole naming of sub genres thing is a bit silly when you consider the point of avant garde is to push boundaries.

I understand that but really the only genres under Avant Garde I think are real is the Avant Rock (Avant Garde mixed with rock) and Avant Garde Metal (Avant Garde mixed with Metal). Free Jazz is more of its own thing but deeply inspired Avant Garde.

At least that is what I think... is my history summarization accurate?

Gates_of_Iscariot, thanks for link but I am not sure what I am suppose to find there, is it a Avant Garde DL blog?

Avant-garde is usually associated with modernism since a large part of that movement was "pushing boundaries." Thus, most minimalist, drone and early electronic music was considered avant-garde.

Edgar Varese is very important since he basically invented musique concrete and is considered the father of electronic music. Karlheinz Stockhausen did a lot of experimentation with electronic music as well, as well as chance-based compositions. Along those lines, John Cage is a very important avant-garde innovator as well, especially for his incorporation of Eastern philosophy into music theory. You have Stravinsky, I would mention Schoenberg as well for rejecting traditional tonality. Then there's the minimalist boys like Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley. Post-minimalism includes artists like Glenn Branca. La Monte Young is probably the most important early composer for drone music, though many of the artists which champion it today are rock bands.

As far as free jazz goes, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler and Sun Ra are some very important players. From Europe you have Peter Brotzmann who pretty much blasted his way through all sax-playing conventions.

John Zorn kind of keeps free jazz alive nowadays though often with very heavy rock and thrash influences, so bands like Naked City are pretty important as well. There's a lot of free improv music that doesn't easily classify into jazz or rock, some of which is fusion and some of which is simply neither. AMM are a very important early free improv band, and groups like A.D.D. Trio show off the more fusion side to it.

As far as avant-rock goes, the most obvious originator is Captain Beefheart, who basically threw free jazz and rock together for the first time on Trout Mask Replica and changed music. Then you've got stuff like The Residents who metamorphosed rock with their dada leanings; Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, JAMC, etc. are all seen as very important regarding introducing noise as a viable stylistic element into rock music, with artists like Merzbow, Whitehouse, Nurse With Wound, and Throbbing Gristle taking that concept to its logical extreme (that is, they are noise artists).

On the drone side, you've got stuff like Sunn O))), Earth, and Boris giving minimalism that metal aesthetic.

You've got a ****load of other artists to work with as well, such as Fred Frith who does everything from noise to avant-pop, Jandek who is one of the more popular "outsider art" musicians, or John Fahey who brings avant-garde to folk music.

I don't know too much avant-garde metal, but Ulver gets namedropped a lot.

these are the genres I'd consider:

avant-rock (I would consider RIO a subgenre of this)
musique concrete
free improv
free jazz
noise / power electronics
electroacoustics
minimalism / post-minimalism
drone

:bowdown: My god, thank you so much, this will definitely help me a lot. So many artists I didn't even know existed.

its avant garede, noise experimentations, industrial, odd techno sub genres, and even the satanic bible set to classical music

dude that is awesome, thanks, I definitely will use some of it for my project (I plan on playing songs for examples)

d-load some industrial tech, or dark cabaret

I told you he would help!

You might want to add Sun Ra to your free jazz list, as he really was quite an influence.

To be honest, I don't see why King Crimson isn't considered avant-garde. As much as I like the other prog giants like Genesis, Rush, Jethro Tull and Yes, I feel that none of them were anywhere near as original as King Crimson. Fripp's use of sonic textures, the atonality, the pure darkness/heaviness compared to other music at the time, the unique instrumentation (THRAK had 2 drummers, a bassist and someone on Chapman stick), the lyrical perspectives, their wild improvisational style etc. It's hard to describe... you really have to listen to it. They did (and still do) experiment quite a bit and this leads to most of their albums having a unique sound. I mean, they had a jungle (as in electronica) song released in 1981.

You could consider Meshuggah to be avant-garde. Given the fact that they stylise their music to be machine-like with polyrhythms and the Meshuggah riff style, the huge range of influences, the jazzy flowing solos, the use of repetition, complex rhythms and vocals as an instrument to produce a trance state... they could probably be considered avant-garde.

Ulver is a band I would consider avant-garde. They have their Black Metal Trilogie, of which one is folky black metal, one is straight biting black metal, and one is completely folky. Their following albums were electronic, trip-hop, minimalist, ambient... everything. Experiments in music...

I see Gorguts on your list, which is good. Perfect example of avant-garde metal.

Buckethead's also and avant-garde musician

*excuse the bump*

So my project was a success. A lot of people liked it, some where disturbed but intrigued but I think many people were interested. Thanks for helping me out, I learned a lot from it and there are so many avant garde artists I listen to know. I appreciate all the help you gave.

By the way, Gates_of_Iscariot, who is the artist that plays classical over the satanic bible? It sounds interesting.

RE: REcommendation
 

Captain Beefheart is just as crazy as Frank Zappa and they did a lot of music together. As for underground acidjazz, try Modeski, Martin & Wood or Three Mile Pilot. Very good and a good influence on music. Music that is mainstream is so re-gurgatated that it doesn't hav much influence. Its the stuff that not many know people know about but those who do have a real appreciatation for good music and its timeless.