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European free improvisation

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

European free improvisation · In the mid-1960s European musicians began to develop a free music of their own, one that leaned less on American swing and blues. In London the Spontaneous Music Ensemble of drummer John Stevens and the group AMM worked with small, attentive sounds. In Germany the pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach founded the Globe Unity Orchestra in 1966, and the saxophonist Peter Brötzmann of Wuppertal recorded the loud Machine Gun in 1968. In Amsterdam, Misha Mengelberg, Han Bennink and Willem Breuker started the Instant Composers Pool in 1967. Musicians set up labels of their own: ICP in Amsterdam, FMP in Berlin and Incus in London. The guitarist Derek Bailey spoke of non-idiomatic improvisation: free playing that is tied to no existing style at all.

Listening

Listening tip. Don't look for a melody, but listen to the sound: how quickly do the players react to one another?

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Categories: Genres