Hi Bill,

I love the avant-garde players, especially Ornette Coleman. I do have to be "in the mood" for them, though. Background elevator music it's not!

I used to live in New York and then Boston - and would go out to see players live at the clubs. That's my favorite setting for listening to avant-garde, because when I'm right there with them I can immerse myself more fully in the moods they're creating.

How about you - who's your fave?

Best,

Suzann

On June 20, 2008 Bill Payne wrote:
Anyone out there familiar with some of the more avant-garde players and their music? Players like Fred Van Hove, Theo Jorgansmann, Ornette Coleman, Fred Anderson, Ceil Taylor, Steve Lacy and the like. What are your opinions of this music? Who are your favorite players?                                                     Over many years Ive listened to avante garde or what are now called cutting edge jazz musicians, but frankly I wonder whether, in some cases, if the musicians can play chord progressions, or what we musicians call

"the changes "  So in answer to the question, I don't have a favourite avante garde jazz musician 

But sadly, here in Australia, The Australia Council, which is the government's major Arts funding body, has a marked propensityto give grants of some thousands of dollars to cutting edge jazz musicians, because they are deemed to be innovative, whereas musicians like myself are more than happy to play the jazz standards and get paid for it, which makes it highly questionable as to whether the purveyors of avante guard music can sustain themselves commercially, so I guess that perhaps this is why many apply for government funding on a fairly regular basis.                      

                                     Alex Hutchinson.       

                                     Melbourne  Australia.