The Odds Avant Qu'elle ne Parte

Few rock groups can claim to have broken so much new territory, and maintain such consistent brilliance on record, as the Velvet Underground during their brief lifespan. It was the group's lot to be ahead of, or at least out of step with, their time. The mid- to late '60s was an era of explosive growth and experimentation in rock, but the Velvets' innovations which blended the energy of rock with the sonic adventurism of the avant-garde, and introduced a new degree of social realism and sexual kinkiness into rock lyrics were too abrasive for the mainstream to handle.

NE OBLIVISCARIS' third album, 'Urn' is bound to be a career defining moment. The Australian extreme prog shooting stars have honed and re-balanced the key elements of their unique sound to a razor sharp musical edge. The dynamic entwining of fierce growls and emotive clean vocals, the contrast between devastating et intricate guitar riffs and thundering drums against an unleashed violin and gorgeous string parts as well as the perfect blending of epic progressive and intense extreme metal forms of expression are all marking a new peak in the steep rise of the band.

The "An einsamer Quelle" project is the sequel to the "Sublime Idylle" CD which was released in 2018 by Klarthe. The project was dedicated to the works of Clara and Robert Schumann and already underlined the lyricism of the piano, notably with the op.39 lieder by Robert, adapted for the piano by Clara. For this new disc, the voice is once again in the spotlight, with transcriptions of the Lieder Morgen (1894) and Allerseelen (1885) arranged by Max Reger. And what could be more interesting than weaving a bond between Schumann, Strauss… and us! The Strauss who wrote his op.3 and op.9 in the 1880s is the same composer who, in 1948, would gratify us with his masterpiece "Vier Letzte Lieder" (Four last songs).

Derek Bailey, John Zorn, William Parker - Harras (1995) {Avant Japan AVAN056}
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© 1995 Avant / Disk Union Japan | AVAN056
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Free Improvisation

A stellar trio of free improvisers, each respective kings of the avant-garde jazz scene in different capacities. British improvisation legend Derek Bailey has played with practically every musician of note in the European improvised music community from the early '60s through to the end of the century and is arguably one of the single most important practitioners in the genre. John Zorn is similarly an extraordinarily influential figure in the American avant-garde music scene and William Parker is a leading solo performer and bandleader who carried free jazz through the late half of the century into new dimensions.

From boundary-pushing koto musicians to experimental jazz virtuosi, Japanese music has long embraced all things avant-garde. This Rough Guide highlights some of today’s key innovators whose individualism challenges the conformist perception of Japan.

Wayne Horvitz & Pigpen - V as in Victim (1994) {Avant Japan Avan027 rec 1993}
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© 1994 Avant Japan / Disk Union | Avan 027
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Jazz Funk / Experimental / Keyboards

Wayne Horvitz's group Pigpen pushes the limits of the small avant-garde combo – saxophone, keyboard, bass and drums – taking it noisy, jarring new frontiers. Equal parts rock and free jazz, V as in Victim is a weird journey through a number of styles and sounds – there's some grooves, some soundscapes and some brutally dissonant variations on free jazz. More often than not, the excursions are successful.

John Zorn - Naked City - The Complete Studio Recordings (2005) [5CD Box Set] {Tzadik}
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© 2005 Tzadik | TZ 7344-5 | Tzadik Archival Series
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Experimental / Modern Composition / Structured Improvisation

Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings is a five disc box set that contains all of the studio albums released by Naked City during their five-year history. Probably Zorn's most popular and most controversial musical project, the music of Naked City has been debated, analyzed, adored and reviled by fans, critics and academics alike, but nothing can replace the experience of hearing it in all its frightening glory. Most people know this music from the single domestic release on Nonesuch, but the major portion of their studio recordings were issued from 1989 - 1993 on the hard to find Japanese labels Avant and Toy's Factory.

Sam Rivers - The Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions 1964-67 (1996) {3CD Box Set Mosaic MD3-167}
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© 1964-67, 1996 Blue Note / EMI-Capitol Music / Mosaic Records | MD3-167
Jazz / Post Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

From the time of his first Blue Note recording in 1964 to his final session for the label in 1967, Sam Rivers made stunning progress as an avant-garde innovator. Starting with an inside/outside hard bop foundation, Rivers quickly took his music as far out as he could while maintaining a recognizable structure; his work fearlessly explored wildly dissonant harmonies and atonality, dense group interaction, cerebral rumination, and passionately intense, free-leaning solos.

Thirteen hours of unreleased and ultra-rare music. The Eternal Myth Revealed is a 14 disc docu-biography of Ra's life and career, from his birth in 1914 up to 1959. In addition to his own music, it includes music he was influenced by, and a lot of stuff he may or may not have had a hand in as arranger, vocal coach, pianist or something else. Sun Ra's output was as prolific as Ellington's, and discographers have had nightmares and arguments attempting to document it accurately.