News & Updates — avant-garde

Happy birthday to the underrated microtonal composer and reedsman Joe Maneri. In 1963 he recorded a demo of 12-tone music with ethnic influence and a sort-of free jazz for Atlantic Records that didn't see release until 1998 (Paniots Nine, released on John Zorn's Tzadik label, and later used in the movie American Splendor), which would've placed him in the avant-garde of jazz had it seen the light of day at the time. Instead, nothing much happened for Maneri, outside of Boston, until his son Mat encouraged him to be more active in the 1990s. He made several records in the...

The Voice of the Galaxies, June Tyson was the cosmic lead vocalist in Sun Ra's band from '68 until her death. She was also a dancer and helped design costumes for the Arkestra members, as well as played some violin in later years. I highly recommend the classic low-budget blaxploitation sci-fi flick Space Is The Place. Check out June and the Arkestra in this clip: And here's a bonus interview with June:

Happy birthday to vocalist Jeanne Lee! From NYC, she was not only a vocalist but a choreographer for classical, modern and jazz settings. She formed a musical partnership in the early '60s with Ran Blake, but the duo had more success across the pond. In the mid-'60s she was collaborating in avant-garde, sound-art, poetry and Fluxus happenings and in the late '60s/early '70s was contributing to work by Archie Shepp, Marion Brown and Carla Bley (Escalator Over The Hill), as well as with her husband Gunter Hampel (Galaxy Dream Band, etc). She has also appeared with Anthony Braxton, John Cage,...

Steve Reid was an underrated jazz drummer for decades who finally enjoyed some limelight with his late-life collaboration with Kieran "Four Tet" Hebden. He got his start in the Apollo Theater house band working with Quincy Jones. After serving time as a draft-resister, he played in his own ensembles, as well as albums, concerts or sessions with Ornette Coleman, James Brown, Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, Jimi Hendrix, Horace Silver, Dionne Warwick, Randy Weston and others. He also did jams at John Coltrane's house, played in stage bands and on Motown sessions ("Dancing In The Streets", "Heat Wave"). He worked on...

The great British improviser Derek Bailey is one of the most important and respected non-pop guitarists to come out of the UK music scene. After doing a few straight-ahead gigs, Bailey went the free-form route and co-founded Spontaneous Music Ensemble, as well as Music Improvisation Company. In 1970 he co-founded the first musician-owned improv label in the UK, Incus Records. To listen to Bailey, you would have to throw away every conventional way that you have heard guitar. He plays improvised music, with little concession to pop or rock (or even jazz). Throughout the years he has collaborated with Evan...