Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians

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Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
AbbreviationAACM
PredecessorExperimental Band
FormationMay 1965 (1965-05)
Founder
TypeNon-profit organization
PurposeSupport and encourage jazz performers, composers and educators
Location
  • Chicago, Illinois
Region
U.S.
Official language
English
Key people
AffiliationsBlack Artists Group
EndowmentMacArthur Foundation
Websiteaacmchicago.org

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965 in Chicago by pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran.[1] The AACM is devoted "to nurturing, performing, and recording serious, original music," according to its charter. It supports and encourages jazz performers, composers and educators. Although founded in the jazz tradition, the group's outreach and influence has, according to Larry Blumenfeld, "touched nearly all corners of modern music."[2]

Background

By the 1960s, jazz music was losing ground to rock music, and the founders of the AACM felt that a proactive group of musicians would add creativity and outlet for new music.

ECM labels.[6]

The musical endeavors of members of the AACM often include an adventurous mixing of avant-garde jazz, classical, and world music. The AACM also ran a school, The AACM School of Music, with classes in all areas taught by members of the AACM. The AACM also had a strong relationship with an influential sister organization, the

St. Louis, Missouri. The AACM has received aid from the MacArthur Foundation and has a strong relationship with Columbia College. A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music by George E. Lewis, has been published by the University of Chicago Press (May 2008).[7]

In 2015, a 50-year retrospective exhibition of art, music and group-related artifacts, entitled, "Free at First", was held at the

Music

The AACM has been on the forefront of the avant-garde since its inception in 1965. Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago pushed the boundaries of jazz and challenged the avant-garde classical movement led by John Cage. Concerts were heavily improvised, and many AACM members created scores that blended music, geometry, painting, and ciphers to be interpreted by the performers live. The AACM was part of an artistic movement on the South Side of Chicago that included AFRICobra (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) and other collectives.[8]

Members

(largely complete through at least 2015) [9]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Blumenfeld, Larry (April 21, 2015). "'Free at First: The Audacious Journey of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians' Review". Wall Street Journal.
  3. ^ . Chicago Tribune.
  4. ^ .
  5. .
  6. ^ "Delmark History". delmark.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2006-10-31.
  7. ^ a b Chinen, Nate (May 2, 2008). "Four Decades of Music That Redefined Free". The New York Times. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  8. ^ Lewis, George E.. "Improvised Music After 1950: Afrological and Eurological Perspectives".Black Music Research Journal 22 (2002): 215–246
  9. ^ >AACM Members 1965 -2015 [T shirt], AACM, 2015
  10. ^ a b c "AACM members have been important innovators and influencers since 1965". AACM. Archived from the original on 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  11. ^ Kelsey, Chris. "The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  12. ^ "Avreeayl Ra". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  13. ^ Bio at Mike Reed website.

Further reading

External links