Recommendations for avant-garde music with great rhythm

[mcmyers]

I've been listening to Miles Davis's Bitches Brew recently, and I'm loving it. But it's giving me a hunger for similar stuff. I'm not looking for other jazz, necessarily, but any kind of improvisatory, exploratory music that's anchored by great rhythm.

Other songs that fit the kind of thing I'm thinking about:
"Sister Ray" by the Velvet Underground
"Yoo Doo Right" by Can (actually, almost anything by Can)
"Why Not" by Yoko Ono (if you haven't heard this song, don't even start making disparaging comments about Yoko Ono)
"Ain't It Funky Now" by James Brown

Any ideas?

 

[Sordel]

Difficult to recommend anything based on your description, but there's an album/piece on Argo called Trance composed by Michael Gordon and performed by Icebreaker. It's in the British minimalist tradition (not too repetitive) but has some pretty interesting rhythmic stuff and should appeal to someone who enjoys jazz.

 

[wower]

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[Sordel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sordel /img/forum/go_quote.gif An album/piece on Argo called Trance composed by Michael Gordon and performed by Icebreaker. It's in the British minimalist tradition.

[Cough] Having just wiki'ed Gordon I find that he's American, which makes it slightly less probable (though not strictly impossible) that he really is in the "British minimalist tradition". Think: blend of Steve Reich, Glenn Branca (both Yanks I know), Andrew Poppy and Michael Nyman.

 

[JadeEast]

Fela Kuti

or

Zappa

 

[GlendaleViper]

Take a look at the thread below for the album "Mirrored" by Battles. It's excellent and might be right up your alley, especially if you like Can.

 

[steviebee]

Agreed: Yoko Ono rocks

 

[Coltrane]

In more the Bitches Brew tradition:

Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman - Song X
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame

 

[steviebee]

If you like Can, how about Faust? Tracks like It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl had a very metronomic, Velvets feel AIR.

 

[GlendaleViper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coltrane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame

Oooooh yummy. Get that with Birds of Fire and you've got yourself one heck of a fun and deep listen to digest.

Then look into some of the electric Chick Corea with Return to Forever or his Elektrik band.

If you haven't already, Herbie Hanc0ck's Headhunters is basically essential too. Oh, and I think you would like Sextant, too, which is very spacey.

...and then onto Tangerine Dream...

 

[trains are bad]

Consider checking out some Shpongle, such as Tales of the Inexpressible. Might not be exactly what you are looking for, but I think it fits your description.

 

[mcmyers]

Thanks. I'll definitely have to check some of this stuff out. I hope some of it is available at the library. Han**** should be.

I just love it when a band takes a lock solid, preferably funky beat and then the music around it just changes and changes, stretching out and trying all kinds of things. A lot of improvisatory music can get a little too out there. But if it has a great beat to give it structure, and if the players are good, it can blow my mind.

Another example I thought of is Issac Hayes's full length version of "Walk On By." If you only know him from the Shaft theme song and South Park, check out his album Hot Buttered Soul. Not the best recording/engineering job, but amazing music.

 

[mcmyers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steviebee /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed: Yoko Ono rocks

I actually haven't listened to that much of her stuff. But that one song "Why Not" is just amazing. People make fun of her voice, but on that song it's like she's using her voice as a saxophone. And with John Lennon playing that bluesy guitar and Ringo on drums (I believe), all her groaning just sounds so sexy. She sounds sorta like PJ Harvey if she'd been raised in a jungle and never learned to speak. Definitely not for everybody, but I recommend checking it out before you dismiss her.

 

[Debaser86]

The album "Witchcraft Rebellion" by Old Time Relijun would be perfect.


Other things you should check out:

"Congotronics" by Konono No.1
"Blue Cathedral" by Comets On Fire
"LC" by The Durutti Column
"Univers Zen Ou De Zéro À Zéro" by Acid Mothers Temple
"Leather Wings" by Japanther

 

[gratefulshrink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcmyers /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been listening to Miles Davis's Bitches Brew recently, and I'm loving it. But it's giving me a hunger for similar stuff. I'm not looking for other jazz, necessarily, but any kind of improvisatory, exploratory music that's anchored by great rhythm. Other songs that fit the kind of thing I'm thinking about: "Sister Ray" by the Velvet Underground "Yoo Doo Right" by Can (actually, almost anything by Can) "Why Not" by Yoko Ono (if you haven't heard this song, don't even start making disparaging comments about Yoko Ono) "Ain't It Funky Now" by James Brown Any ideas?

Been off the site for a while, so I missed this thread. I love this kind of avante garde muisc, and a lot of good suggestions have already been thrown in/out. There are definitely a lot of directions you can go in, even leaving free jazz out of the picture.

I agree that Can is, in many ways, the beginning and end of that great churning, rhythmic sound. Sonic Youth were big fans of theirs but, outside of maybe Diamond Sea (on the Washing Machine LP), didn't go too far in that direction on their albums. Exceptions to that are some of the music they put out on their private label, SYR.

My favorite Krautrock besides Can is probably Amon Duul (I and II). While looser, they still could lock into a groove.

And then there are the minimalizt/maximalist composers like Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham, who definitely take the Can/Sonic Youth sound into the "compositional" arena.

Even more out there is the music of Henry Flynt, who somehow blends Appalachian fiddle with Indian Raga.