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AMM

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

AMM was a British free improvisation group, founded in London in 1965. The first line-up consisted of Keith Rowe on guitar, Lou Gare on saxophone and Eddie Prévost on drums. Rowe and Gare came from Mike Westbrook's jazz band, and Prévost and Gare also played together in a hard bop quintet. It began as an experimental weekend workshop at the Royal College of Art. In 1966 the composer Cornelius Cardew joined on piano and cello, and that year the first record, AMMusic, appeared on Elektra Records UK.

Music and breakthrough

No performance was ever planned. The musicians avoided melody, harmony and a fixed rhythm and sought a blend of sound in which you can hardly tell any more which instrument is making which sound. They used special playing techniques and also amplified everyday objects, such as a glass jar or a coffee tin, with contact microphones. The recordings of 12 June 1968 were later released as The Crypt and are regarded as the moment when the long, droning pieces became the group's hallmark. Musicians came and went. Rowe and Prévost stayed longest, and the pianist John Tilbury joined them around 1980. In the 1980s and 1990s the group sounded quieter and more meditative. Prévost released the records on his own label, Matchless Recordings.

Influence

AMM never reached a large audience, but had great influence on improvised music and on the later electro-acoustic scene. The group played its last concert at Café Oto in London on 30 July 2022. For a course on pop and rock, AMM shows how far a group could go when it let go of every convention.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to an excerpt from The Crypt and try not to look for a melody or a beat. Notice the long, swelling sounds and ask yourself whether you can tell which instrument is making which sound.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists