Avant-Garde Jazz
Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which improvisation may take place. This structure may be composed note for note in advance, partially or even completely.
History:
1950s
The origins of avant-garde jazz are in the innovations of the immediate acolytes of Charlie Parker. Read Full BioAvant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which improvisation may take place. This structure may be composed note for note in advance, partially or even completely.
History:
1950s
The origins of avant-garde jazz are in the innovations of the immediate acolytes of Charlie Parker. Based in New York City, now-canonical musicians such as Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane introduced modal improvisation and experimented with atonality and dissonance. Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Ornette Coleman became a new vanguard of controversial jazz innovators, outside the range of what many fans considered listenable.
1960s
John Coltrane's increasingly experimental work, and the Impulse! label became the flagbearers of the avant-garde jazz scene. Musicians associated with this high-volume variety of avant-garde jazz (sometimes referred to as "fire music)" included Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, McCoy Tyner, Don Cherry, Pharaoh Sanders and Coltrane's wife, Alice Coltrane. Some of these musicians also began to take on an oppositional relationship to the mainstream music industry, preferring to release records themselves through independent labels such as ESP-Disk. This wing of avant-garde jazz was taken as emblematic of the Black Power movement, and also sometimes had mystical intentions.
Musicians who incorporated the innovations of free and avant-garde jazz, but remained within a more conventional framework, recorded for Blue Note Records. Miles Davis's second quintet (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams), as well as others such as Eric Dolphy and Andrew Hill, are the best-remembered representatives of this style.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians began pursuing their own variety of avant-garde jazz, sometimes described as "postmodern" jazz. The AACM musicians (Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago) tended towards eclecticism, and incorporated developments in 20th century classical music (particularly Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage) as well as funk and ska, in addition to Dixieland and other elements of jazz history. Rahsaan Roland Kirk also made use of pastiche.
1970s
The 1970s saw the development of jazz fusion. It is questionable whether this can be considered a form of avant-garde jazz, though Miles Davis's recordings of this period, in particular, appear quite innovative and take inspiration from serialism and aleatoric music, just as the AACM did. In any case, hardcore jazz fans tended to regard early jazz fusion as a commercial sell-out move. However, by the mid-'70s, many free jazz icons, such as Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, and Ornette Coleman were experimenting with rock and funk. Coleman would eventually develop the free funk style, which would be further explored by the M-Base musicians in the 1980s.
Jazz also became considerably more international in the 1970s, as saxophonists Gato Barbieri (Argentine), Kaoru Abe (Japanese), Peter Brötzmann (German), and pianist Sergey Kuryokhin (Russian), attest. European free jazz, in particular, began to develop. Evan Parker and Derek Bailey were pioneers of the new non-idiomatic style. Some veteran avant-garde jazz musicians (Charlie Haden), and much of the new blood, including a number who had played with Miles Davis in the 1970s (Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea) and several Europeans (Jan Garbarek among them), began to record for the ECM label. The ECM sound, invariably recorded by Manfred Eicher, tended towards an elegant, refined, polished style that owed a great deal to the history of classical music. ECM also released recordings of minimalist and medieval music, and work by the Art Ensemble of Chicago (who were considerably messier than the ECM stereotype would indicate). A number of the AACM and ECM musicians would collaborate with one another, for example in the group Circle.
Many of the AACM musicians moved to New York City, where they provided the nucleus of the loft jazz scene. The World Saxophone Quartet also emerged from this milieu.
1980s
The 1980s saw the pre-eminence of Wynton Marsalis and his classicist approach, and a resulting diminution of the visibility of the avant-garde. However, as avant-garde jazz was a prime influence on no wave, New York City became the center of a new crop of aggressive improvisors: John Zorn, Borbetomagus, the Lounge Lizards, James Chance, James Blood Ulmer, Sonny Sharrock, Diamanda Galás, Bill Laswell (who also worked on Herbie Hancock's funk and electro recordings) and Bill Frisell (who had also recorded with the ECM musicians) among them. This development is referred to as punk jazz.
John Zorn, in particular, became an iconic figure in the "downtown" music scene, performing in free jazz, free improvisation, and a variety of rock and extreme music styles. Many of these musicians actually resided in Brooklyn; Tim Berne is a prominent representative.
1990s
The 1990s saw a return in visibility to the Chicago jazz scene, including players with links to the AACM. Most prominent are David Boykin, Aaron Getsug, Nicole Mitchell, Karl E. H. Seigfried, and Isaiah Spencer - all of who came up through Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge. Other players include Ken Vandermark, Jeff Parker, and Kevin Drumm; these musicians had connections to the post-rock or noise rock scenes.
Likewise, there was an increase in vitality in the remnants of the loft jazz scene in New York, centered around David S. Ware. Matthew Shipp, Susie Ibarra, and William Parker practiced a more traditional variety of avant-garde jazz than the punk jazz-inflected downtown musicians, though some collaboration did occur between the two camps. Matthew Shipp eventually collaborated with illbient and alternative hip hop musicians (DJ Spooky, Antipop Consortium, El-P), and moved towards a distinctive brand of nu jazz comparable to that of Craig Taborn.
History:
1950s
The origins of avant-garde jazz are in the innovations of the immediate acolytes of Charlie Parker. Read Full BioAvant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which improvisation may take place. This structure may be composed note for note in advance, partially or even completely.
History:
1950s
The origins of avant-garde jazz are in the innovations of the immediate acolytes of Charlie Parker. Based in New York City, now-canonical musicians such as Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane introduced modal improvisation and experimented with atonality and dissonance. Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, and Ornette Coleman became a new vanguard of controversial jazz innovators, outside the range of what many fans considered listenable.
1960s
John Coltrane's increasingly experimental work, and the Impulse! label became the flagbearers of the avant-garde jazz scene. Musicians associated with this high-volume variety of avant-garde jazz (sometimes referred to as "fire music)" included Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, McCoy Tyner, Don Cherry, Pharaoh Sanders and Coltrane's wife, Alice Coltrane. Some of these musicians also began to take on an oppositional relationship to the mainstream music industry, preferring to release records themselves through independent labels such as ESP-Disk. This wing of avant-garde jazz was taken as emblematic of the Black Power movement, and also sometimes had mystical intentions.
Musicians who incorporated the innovations of free and avant-garde jazz, but remained within a more conventional framework, recorded for Blue Note Records. Miles Davis's second quintet (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams), as well as others such as Eric Dolphy and Andrew Hill, are the best-remembered representatives of this style.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians began pursuing their own variety of avant-garde jazz, sometimes described as "postmodern" jazz. The AACM musicians (Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago) tended towards eclecticism, and incorporated developments in 20th century classical music (particularly Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage) as well as funk and ska, in addition to Dixieland and other elements of jazz history. Rahsaan Roland Kirk also made use of pastiche.
1970s
The 1970s saw the development of jazz fusion. It is questionable whether this can be considered a form of avant-garde jazz, though Miles Davis's recordings of this period, in particular, appear quite innovative and take inspiration from serialism and aleatoric music, just as the AACM did. In any case, hardcore jazz fans tended to regard early jazz fusion as a commercial sell-out move. However, by the mid-'70s, many free jazz icons, such as Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, and Ornette Coleman were experimenting with rock and funk. Coleman would eventually develop the free funk style, which would be further explored by the M-Base musicians in the 1980s.
Jazz also became considerably more international in the 1970s, as saxophonists Gato Barbieri (Argentine), Kaoru Abe (Japanese), Peter Brötzmann (German), and pianist Sergey Kuryokhin (Russian), attest. European free jazz, in particular, began to develop. Evan Parker and Derek Bailey were pioneers of the new non-idiomatic style. Some veteran avant-garde jazz musicians (Charlie Haden), and much of the new blood, including a number who had played with Miles Davis in the 1970s (Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea) and several Europeans (Jan Garbarek among them), began to record for the ECM label. The ECM sound, invariably recorded by Manfred Eicher, tended towards an elegant, refined, polished style that owed a great deal to the history of classical music. ECM also released recordings of minimalist and medieval music, and work by the Art Ensemble of Chicago (who were considerably messier than the ECM stereotype would indicate). A number of the AACM and ECM musicians would collaborate with one another, for example in the group Circle.
Many of the AACM musicians moved to New York City, where they provided the nucleus of the loft jazz scene. The World Saxophone Quartet also emerged from this milieu.
1980s
The 1980s saw the pre-eminence of Wynton Marsalis and his classicist approach, and a resulting diminution of the visibility of the avant-garde. However, as avant-garde jazz was a prime influence on no wave, New York City became the center of a new crop of aggressive improvisors: John Zorn, Borbetomagus, the Lounge Lizards, James Chance, James Blood Ulmer, Sonny Sharrock, Diamanda Galás, Bill Laswell (who also worked on Herbie Hancock's funk and electro recordings) and Bill Frisell (who had also recorded with the ECM musicians) among them. This development is referred to as punk jazz.
John Zorn, in particular, became an iconic figure in the "downtown" music scene, performing in free jazz, free improvisation, and a variety of rock and extreme music styles. Many of these musicians actually resided in Brooklyn; Tim Berne is a prominent representative.
1990s
The 1990s saw a return in visibility to the Chicago jazz scene, including players with links to the AACM. Most prominent are David Boykin, Aaron Getsug, Nicole Mitchell, Karl E. H. Seigfried, and Isaiah Spencer - all of who came up through Fred Anderson's Velvet Lounge. Other players include Ken Vandermark, Jeff Parker, and Kevin Drumm; these musicians had connections to the post-rock or noise rock scenes.
Likewise, there was an increase in vitality in the remnants of the loft jazz scene in New York, centered around David S. Ware. Matthew Shipp, Susie Ibarra, and William Parker practiced a more traditional variety of avant-garde jazz than the punk jazz-inflected downtown musicians, though some collaboration did occur between the two camps. Matthew Shipp eventually collaborated with illbient and alternative hip hop musicians (DJ Spooky, Antipop Consortium, El-P), and moved towards a distinctive brand of nu jazz comparable to that of Craig Taborn.
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Blackstar
David Bowie Lyrics
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah ah, ah ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes
On the day of execution, on the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile, ah ah, ah ah
At the center of it all, at the center of it all
Your eyes
Your eyes
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the center of it all, at the center of it all
Your eyes
Your eyes
Ah ah ah
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar, I'm not a gangster)
I can't answer why (I'm a blackstar)
Just go with me (I'm not a filmstar)
I'ma take you home (I'm a blackstar)
Take your passport and shoes (I'm not a popstar)
And your sedatives, boo (I'm a blackstar)
You're a flash in the pan (I'm not a marvel star)
I'm the great I Am (I'm a blackstar)
I'm a blackstar, way up, oh honey, I've got game
I see right, so wide, so open-hearted it's pain
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a star star, I'm a blackstar)
I can't answer why (I'm not a gangster)
But I can tell you how (I'm not a flam star)
We were born upside-down (I'm a star star)
Born the wrong way 'round (I'm not a white star)
(I'm a blackstar)
('m not a gangster)
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
(I'm not a pornstar, I'm not a wandering star)
(I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar)
In the villa of Ormen stands a solitary candle
Ah ah, ah ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
On the day of execution, only women kneel and smile
Ah ah, ah ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
Your eyes
Ah ah ah
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Bowie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
CADJewellerySkills
Every once in a long while, the world gets to witness an artist who not only lives to a ripe old age, but also remains lucid and creating right up until the day he dies. Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse were still producing incredible works right up to the final days. With this album, David Bowie joined that rare group.
And with his music and this performance, we can see what Bowie sees and interprets when staring straight into non-existence itself.
Like the swan songs of those other artists, Bowie's final creation carries a long list of references to all his previous work, giving listeners the disorientating feeling of hearing his entire back catalogue at once. Not unlike watching his life discography flash before his eyes, all while reflecting upon it to interpret it into one last new thing.
And just as the many layers of this song bleed together somehow achieving cohesion through their clashing rhythms and keys, the emotions I (and surely others) feel watching this video become a similarly almost cohesive mix of several conflicting feelings: fascination, tension, sadness, and awe.
For the shapeshifting son of a Croyden marketing manager who relished tearing up the music idols of the past, it's a fitting send off.
Bob & Ann
In the Villa of Ormen
In the Villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle
At the centre of it all
At the centre of it all
Your eyes
On the day of execution
On the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile
At the centre of it all
At the centre of it all
Your eyes
Your eyes
In the Villa of Ormen
In the Villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle
At the centre of it all
At the centre of it all
Your eyesOn the day of execution
On the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile
At the centre of it all
At the centre of it all
Your eyes
Your eyes
In the Villa of Ormen
In the Villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle
At the centre of it all
At the centre of it all
Your eyes
Your eyes
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
I'm a Blackstar
I'm a Blackstar
How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground
He cried loud into the crowd
I'm a Blackstar
I'm a Blackstar
I'm not a gangster
I can't answer why
I'm a Blackstar
Just go with me
I'm not a film star
I'm-a take you home
I'm a Blackstar
Take your passport and shoes
I'm not a popstar
And your sedatives, boo
I'm a Blackstar
You're a flash in the pan
I'm not a marvel star
I'm the great I am
I'm a blackstar
I'm a blackstar,
way up, oh honey, I've got game
I see right so white, so open-heart it's pain
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes
I'm a Blackstar
I'm a Blackstar
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
I'm a Blackstar
I'm a star star
I'm a Blackstar
I can't answer why
I'm not a gangster
But I can tell you how
I'm not a flam star
We were born upside-down
I'm a star star
Born the wrong way 'round
I'm not a white star
I'm a Blackstar
I'm not a gangster
I'm a Blackstar
I'm a Blackstar
I'm not a pornstar
I'm not a wandering star
I'm a Blackstar
I'm a Blackstar
In the Villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle
At the centre of it all
Your eyes
On the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile
At the centre of it all
Your eyes
Your eyes
*Drica Dri Andrade*
Chameleon
Always like a chameleon
Entering bars with a different personality
Sublime soul
Inigmatic look
Third vision
Your music flirts with my heart
Your poetry seduces me
You fell to Earth
I wish I had a rocket
To catch up with your thoughts ....
Rock in the stars
poontang3zizo
Damn. Just heard the news. Thought I'd give my shot at interpreting this masterpiece:
Major Tom, a fictional creation of Bowie, discovers a black star. It should be noted that the character is a representation of Bowie himself so we can draw parallels with this video to reality. When Tom's bedazzled skull is discovered, the woman takes it and essentially starts worshiping it. He becomes an idol. However, the video is intercut with Bowie blindfolded with false eyes and holding what looks like a Satantic bible. David Bowie, the pop star is a figure the occult (hidden) because of his genius but he is just as blind as anyone else. He becomes a misinformed Jesus of sorts for the masses, as represented by the three scarecrows (it closely resembles Jesus' crucifixion)
When death does find Bowie/Major Tom/ Jesus scarecrow he realises the futility of existence. At the center of the universe lies a black star. This represents many things; a black star is a fallen star, a dead star. Here Bowie is acknowledging his inevitable demise as an artist and as a person. That in the end he will be nothing but a black star. However, his legacy will live on. This is seen when the skull is being worshiped.
Blackstar is essentially a meditation of death and the emptiness of being an idol. It's pretty nihilistic and very bleak. What I got from it is that humans find ways to find joy within the abject apathy of this universe. It's artists like David Bowie, though flawed, provide us with such joy. His legacy will always be remembered.
Goodbye David. You will go down in history as one of the greatest pop artists ever. But you always knew that, you brilliant fucker you ;)
FoxOwne
Simon Pegg said something along the lines of "If you're feeling sad, just remember that the world is over four billion years old and yet you managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie."
Aidan Murphy
Nope, Simon Pegg did not say that, write that or tweet that. I think it's very very cool and Simon Pegg just ain't cool enuf for it.
Sean Mathews
@jason palmer First off I don't listen to anything that is satanic. And If you think Iron Maiden is satanic then you don't know what a satanic band looks like.
The bands that are satanic are VERY vocal and up front about the fact that they are satanists. For example Watain is a band that is satanic.
I recommend in the future you educate yourself better so you know what you are talking about before you open your mouth.
jason palmer
@Sean Mathews Another satanist group.
Sean Mathews
I feel the same way about IRON MAIDEN. I feel blessed to live in the same time they made their music and got to see them live.
jason palmer
What a ridiculous statement. Here I am in 2020 enjoying the classic composers from 300 years ago.
rob roberts
Used his terminal illness as the final reinvention. What a fucking genius.
rob roberts
@The Swiss Guy The only confused people are those that don't realise the truth in my comment. Poor bastards.
TitoCompianni
David Bowie - Blackstar Subtitulado Español
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVF9_NWKBWc
The Swiss Guy
@rob roberts hell yes!
For once I‘m not the most confused person!