Innovators of contemporary jazz

[AntManBee]

Who would you say are the innovators of jazz from the 80's and on? They don't have to be the new Coltranes, Mileses or Minguses, but to some extent developers of the jazz idiom.

Just curious.

[hearsay]

Just for a start I'd say- Steve Coleman, Henry Threadgill, Tim Berne. For their innovations and originality in composition, improvisation and group dynamics.

[Sergio Zamora]

I think Braxton most definitely qualifies. Not only has he excelled in leading a group, perfected an approach for synthesizing compostion and improvisation, and to top it off created his own musical language at least twice.

[stonemonkts]

This thread could turn into a debate over what "innovation" is, but at any rate, I would also vote for Braxton.

Others that come to mind are John Zorn, the aforementioned Threadgill, and those eai guys such as Keith Rowe et al..

[jaka]

I didn't have to wait too long to see the 2 names I'd put up front: John Zorn & Tim Berne.
A pity their common "Spy vs. Spy" was good but not great...

[Vince Kargatis]

Originally Posted by jaka

John Zorn & Tim Berne.
A pity their common "Spy vs. Spy" was good but not great...

Berne's (merely) a sideman on that, concept was pure Zorn, so I don't think it's a particularly notable matchup regarding their strengths.

[jaka]

Originally Posted by Vince Kargatis

Berne's (merely) a sideman on that, concept was pure Zorn, so I don't think it's a particularly notable matchup regarding their strengths.

And that's not.
What I meant is I would have liked this recording with two of my all-time favorite musicians on it to be one of my favorite recordings too.
Have too much love for these guy's music to be stopped by this though.
At least, many recordings from both are in my 'desert island collection'.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Cecil Taylor, along with everybody else already mentioned. And Evan Parker. And the big European bands, LJCO, VAO (looks like a stock market list), and the Italian Instabile Orchestra.

[gnhrtg]

No one from the Swedish or Dutch schools has yet been mentioned, so I'd like to mention them, just for a thrill. Maybe one wouldn't call them schools but I really have to get some sleep now, so that's the best I can do.

[jaka]

Originally Posted by gnhrtg

No one from the Swedish or Dutch schools has yet been mentioned, so I'd like to mention them, just for a thrill. Maybe one wouldn't call them schools but I really have to get some sleep now, so that's the best I can do.

Elaborate... Please.

[Dr Dave]

You don't have to be avant-garde to be an innovator. Mulgrew Miller has taken a skein that begins with Phineas Newborn and runs through McCoy Tyner and Harold Mabern, and expanded it harmonically and rhythmically. He's also contributed many, many compositions to the post-bop canon.

[Jazzooo]

A little love afar, spite at home? I'd include Metheny and Scofield. Their work from the '80s till now has occasionally broken down barriers of what is acceptable for contemporary jazz groups and composers.

[Uli]

Ernest Dawkins, Steve Berry, Isiah Spencer, Justin Dillard, Maurice Brown, Corey Wilkes, Darius Savage et al, aka extended New Horizons.

[sonic1]

what about japanese improvisors...or are we talking jazz specifically?

Anthony Braxton is a "no-duh" answer.

Because of John Zorn's activity with promoting musicians of innovative quality through his always intriguing label, I would give John Zorn the strongest vote.

The NYers as a group: Gayle, Ware, Shipp, William Parker, et al.

The Euros: Evan Parker, Brotzmann, von Schlippenbach, et al.

but of course as the gradient slips from jazz to post-jazz, we get into grey territory of we limit ourselves to the work "jazz".

Jared

[Dan G]

Unfortunately, most of the ones that I could come up with (many of whom have already been mentioned) date back past the 80s (as the original post wanted 80s and onward).

Schlippenbach, Parker, Brotzmann, Cecil...all recorded in the 60s and pretty much defined themselves by the mid-late 70s. Braxton, who continually tries to redfine himself, and I would defintely class him as one who continues to be innovative. Even though you can hear the roots of the GTM, his last big move, back a couple of decades with the 'pulse track' idea.

The LJCO, yeah, the 80s were a big time for Guy's writing - there is a distinct advancement from what he did with the earlier version of the band (Ode and Stringer for exapmle).

[AntManBee]

Originally Posted by sonic1

what about japanese improvisors...or are we talking jazz specifically?

The borders between genres admittedly blur, but I was thinking more towards what usually passes for jazz. What improvisers (or if it's improvisors - there's a thread about the term somewhere, isn't it?) were you thinking of?

[sonic1]

Otomo Yoshidide (who has done some jazz-like stuff_
Haco
Tetuzi Akiyama
Utah Kawasaki
etc

[AntManBee]

Originally Posted by Dan G

Schlippenbach, Parker, Brotzmann, Cecil...all recorded in the 60s and pretty much defined themselves by the mid-late 70s. Braxton, who continually tries to redfine himself, and I would defintely class him as one who continues to be innovative.

True indeed that many who already had a career going since a decade or two kept re-defining jazz in the 80's and thereafter, but what I had in mind was exclusively performers 1980 and thereafter.

[Steve Reynolds]

Gerry Hemingway - especially for his landmark quintet recordings

Mats Gustafsson - in my mind the major new exponent of jazz related saxophone techniquer and performance over the past 20 years



shame there are not more - but alot has been done in this music over the last 90-100 years

like Brian O, my wish is that there were more young people practicing in these areas

[groover]

Arthur Blythe is an often overlooked talent who uses varied ensembles on his recordings, sometimes drummerless with tuba covering the bass part. I'm enjoying "Hipmotism" right now.

[Uli]

Originally Posted by Steve Reynolds

like Brian O, my wish is that there were more young people practicing in these areas

You guys need to go out more often. Of the ones I mentioned, Justin Dillard is 21. Corey and Maurice about 25, so is Isiah Spencer.

I am sure there are also young musicians practicing in these areas in New York.

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally Posted by Uli

Of the ones I mentioned, Justin Dillard is 21. Corey and Maurice about 25, so is Isiah Spencer.

That's good. NH must be a really good band to pay dues in.

[stonemonkts]

[Sergio Zamora]

Inside the KGB!!

[Stuckinagroove]

Greg osby, ben allison

up and comer:
jason moran

[Bill Barton]

No mention of Dave Douglas yet, and I'd definitely put him high on my list.

Kip Hanrahan too, although I'm sure some will say what he does isn't jazz at all. But I'd submit that his combination of avant heavy hitters like Murray and Pullen with the top NY latin cats and the likes of Jack Bruce and Dr. John classifies him as an innovator in jazz (among other forms.)

Bob Moses, particularly for his Gramavision large-group recordings.

Joe McPhee definitely!

Satoko Fujii

Uri Caine

Omar Sosa

Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez (A rhythmic innovator of the first order!)

Nicole Mitchell (I'll bet the best is yet to come from her, but she's already done some very interesting things...)

Charlie Hunter

Jerry Granelli

A totally off-the-top-of-my-head list for now...

Branford Marsalis

Ken Vandermark

William Parker

Hamid Drake