Dave Holland (born October 1, 1946) is a British jazz bassist and composer who is a significant representative of avant-garde jazz. Born in Wolverhampton, England, Holland learned to play bass as a child, and spent three years studying the instrument at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. By 1967 he was a regular player at Ronnie Scott's, the premier jazz club in London, backing visiting musicians.
The experimental jazz zeitgeist of the 1960s and 1970s made possible any number of unconventional instrumental groupings. The basic horn-piano-bass-drums lineup of the modern jazz era lost its mandate, as more musicians searched for fresh and unusual sonorities. Ornette Coleman's bands did away with the piano; Cecil Taylor's trio with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray eliminated the bass. Musicians associated with the Chicago-based AACM occasionally did away with one or more (or all) elements of the rhythm section; for example, in its first incarnation the Art Ensemble of Chicago had no drummer.
The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is an instrumental group comprised of 8 horn players and a drummer, all sons of jazz musician Kelan Phil Cohran (who played trumpet in Sun Ra Arkestra). Originally from [placeformed]Chicago, IL, they are currently based in New York City. They just launched a brand spanking new website www.hypnoticbrass.net. Website is just a home page for now, more to come. Stay tuned for massive events coming up, extra-specially around New York in Spring/Summer 2008. Band Members:
From Wikipedia: 'Red Square was a free improvising band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England during the 1970s. Consisting of Ian Staples (electric guitar), Jon Seagroatt (bass clarinet) and Roger Telford (drums and percussion). The group played extremely loud and intense free-form jam sessions supporting other like-minded musicians, such as Henry Cow, Lol Coxhill, etc. Red Square also played regularly on a semi-squatted basis at The Queens, a dilapidated hotel in Westcliff-on-Sea, where, according to a local urban myth...
There are several artists named KRAKATAU: 1. avant-fusion band led by guitarist Raoul Björkenheim. 2. Indonesian jazz outfit. They play fusion at first, but then experimenting by merging indonesian ethnic style with western jazz. 3. Russian experimental metal band which was formed in Moscow in 2004, inspired by the experiments of Mike Patton, and other worthy guru, so the band has always been close to the spirit of musical freedom.
A longtime member of The Sun Ra Arkestra, alto saxophonist Marshall Allen later assumed leadership of the group following the departures of Sun Ra and his immediate successor, John Gilmore. He was also a regular collaborator of Babatunde Olatunji, in the process emerging as one of the first jazz musicians to fuse the avant-garde with traditional African music. Allen was born May 25, 1924, in Louisville, KY, beginning clarinet lessons at the age of ten.
Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (18 December 1941 in Leland, Mississippi) is a trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. He started out playing drums, mellophone and French horn before he settled on the trumpet. He played in various rhythm-n-blues groups and by 1967 became a member of the AACM and co-founded the Creative Construction Company, a trio with Leroy Jenkins and Anthony Braxton. In 1971 Smith formed his own label, Kabell.
Read more about Wadada Leo Smith on Last.fm.
Tim Berne (born 1954) is an American jazz saxophone player and composer. Though Berne was a music fan, he had no interest in playing a musical instrument until he was in college, when he purchased an alto saxophone. He was more interested in rhythm and blues music--Stax records releases and Aretha Franklin, especially--until he heard a recording by Julius Hemphill. Hemphill was known for his integration of soul music and funk with free jazz. Berne moved to New York City in 1974. There Berne took lessons from Hemphill, and later recorded with him.
Born in Kure-city, Hiroshima in 1945. Studied marine biology at Hiroshima university. Formed a group Saibo-bunretsu (Cell fission) in Tokyo in 1969, and was also performing with various free-jazz musicians. Joined Yamashita Yosuke Trio from 1972 till 1979. In 1980 he formed his trio and its three month tour in Japan elicited a great public response. Its performance during this period was released as a live album POCHI.
The ICP, or "Instant Composers Pool", Orchestra recorded relatively little, but achieved international acclaim for its sophisticated improvisations, ingenious interpretations of landmark composers such as Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk and for the band members' extraordinary level of musicianship. The Amsterdam-based group is a blend of European improvised music, jazz and the Dutch irreverent attitude, in general, which all combine into a highly sophisticated yet enjoyable music that has astonished and impressed music lovers for several decades.