Results for "Avant Garde"

James McKain

Born: May 30

McKain is a saxophonist living in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. He is largely associated with free jazz and freely improvised music. He is less interested in these mediums less as stable genres (though: guilty as charged when it comes to his relatively Catholic listening predilections), and more of a method. He finds that the best improvised music synthesizes form -- as a collective activity the best moments do not keep one beholden to form, but rather one can recognize patterns in which one can change the hierarchy and structure of the music being played in real time itself. McKain believes form is a malleable concept.

James Wengrow

Born: October 26, 1989

James Wengrow is a Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer from Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia. Fusing idioms while maintaining a distinguishable sonic personality, James’ output has been described as “A sprightly collage of experimental jazz, heavy prog, math rock, and neoclassical music...The perfect stop-over for curious rock fans looking to branch to jazz and visa versa" (Bandcamp Daily), and “delving deep into territory that is as much Fugazi as it is [Miles] Davis... a blazing intensity to the heavier passages neatly offset by occasional moments of shimmering beauty” (Sonic Abuse).  Drawing similarities to Ornette Coleman and the Avant-garde, All About Jazz states “...[James’] music summons the same tumult, or at least the same clamor felt in the early 1960s... the spirit and energy of those times is unmistakable.”

Irene Aranda

Born: September 2, 1980

IRENE ARANDA

Pianist, composer.

Born in Jaén ( Andalucía / Spain ) and Berlin-based, started to play piano at age seven. Classical trained and selftaught in jazz and free improvisation, Aranda is defined by the critics as original, astonishing and freed from stereotypes.

Irene Aranda has played with Don Malfon, Brandon López, Ami Yamasaki, Samuel Blasser, Chuck Roth, Elisabeth Coudoux, Maria Reich, Agustí Fernández, Joanna Mattrey, Ernesto Rodrigues, Johannes Nästestjö, Valentin Schuster, Markus Breuss, Germán Díaz, Lucía Martínez, Javier Carmona, Núria Andorrà, Marc Egea and so on.

PAON

Active since: 2026

PAON (peacock) is an avant-garde jazz band composed of multi genre singer-songwriter Pernelle and virtuoso music producer Lemm.
The project arose from a creative symbiosis between the two artists, whose musical collaboration was sparked by a shared fascination with interdimensional expression.
The story explores the idea that the imagination transcends physical reality, positing that celestial bodies are dreams personified on a cosmic scale.

Our music finds its authenticity from experimentation and genre fusion, within a science-fiction aesthetic. Blending sophisticated groovy sounds and elements of jazz, rock, ambient or rap into a cinematic storm fuelled by a mystical narrative, PAON is a very unique journey to experience.

Elia Casu

Born: March 11, 1986

Elia Casu is a musician, composer, and producer. His work moves
between experimentation and sound research, combining prepared
guitars, electronics, and improvisation to explore sonic landscapes
where groove, minimalism, and ambient textures coexist. Originally
from Sardinia, he began playing guitar at a young age and later
earned a degree in jazz guitar.
Since 2016, he has been pursuing a solo career in electronic
music, developing a personal language that runs alongside and
through his many collaborations. He has contributed to over twenty
albums with various groups (including OnGaku2, PER, Takoma,
Nick Rivera, ARE, and the Rural Electrification Orchestra) and is
also active as a sound designer in the media field

Duarte Ventura

Born: July 21, 2000

Duarte Ventura, born in 2000, began his musical studies at the age of ten at the Associação Filarmónica Arganilense, attending percussion and music theory classes. At the age of twelve, he started studying at the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, continuing his classical percussion education. In 2015, he decided to change direction, focusing solely on the vibraphone and the jazz genre, joining the Professional Course of Jazz Instrumentalist at the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra. After three years of the course, he was admitted to the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, an institution that allowed him to have classes with renowned national and international musicians, such as Jeffery Davis, André Fernandes, João Moreira, Afonso Pais, among others.

Garrett Wingfield

Garrett Wingfield is a composer and saxophonist who actively avoids boundaries and borders in his artmaking. His compositions “...demonstrate his unique skills as a writer and instigator of group improvisation...” (Free Jazz Blog) and are “...equally informed by disparate influences — as much Ellington as it is Berio, as much Ornette as it is Zappa…” (Nextbop). His practice undermines the idea that improvisation and highly structured composition are antithetical. Instead, his music brings an intuitive and human element to the otherwise dense and esoteric.

Van Dam and the Madman

A collaboration between multi-reedists Erik Van Dam and Albano the Madman showcasing the vast palette of sounds and textures at their disposal; using improvisation as a medium to convey complex storytelling and deep seated emotional depth.

Fabio Ferri

Born: September 9, 1994

Fabio Ferri is a Bristol-based multi-instrumentalist and composer whose music sits at the crossroads of jazz, classical and electronic dance culture. Known for high-energy live sets and richly melodic writing, he leads a full band that moves between deep grooves, soaring harmonies and moments of improvisational freedom. His work blends sophistication with immediacy — complex ideas delivered with a sense of fun and forward motion.

A rising voice in the UK scene, he has been called “Bristol’s answer to Frank Zappa” for his imaginative, genre-blurring approach. Ferri has performed at festivals including Glastonbury, Shambala and others across the UK, and his Bristol shows are regularly featured as Editor’s Picks on Headfirst.

Ian Smit

Born: November 17, 1957

Ian Smit is a composer, guitar texturalist for Monkeyworks, e’fessioux, Rick Savage & Beyond Jazz, Sputnik 5, QWERT, Ping, and a bunch of unsuspecting singer/songwriters, still manages to not fall into a neatly packaged musical genre… And, that’s okay!