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==Background==
==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.<ref name=Reich>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/reich/ct-jazz-aacm-20150127-column.html|title=50th anniversary of AACM celebrated at DuSable Museum|author=Reich, Howard|date=January 27, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> The AACM was formed in May 1965 by a group of musicians centered on [[pianist]] [[Muhal Richard Abrams]] who had organized an Experimental Band since 1962. The musicians were generally steadfast in their commitment to their music, despite a lack of performance venues and sometimes indifferent audiences. From 1969 the AACM organised a music education program for inner-city youths.<ref>{{cite book|author=Litweiler, John | title=The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958 | publisher=Da Capo | year=1984|isbn=0-306-80377-1}}</ref> In the 1960s and 1970s AACM members were among the most important and innovative in all of jazz, though the AACM's contemporary influence has waned some in recent years. Many AACM members have recorded widely: in the early days on the [[Delmark Records]] Avant Garde Jazz series and later on the [[Black Saint/Soul Note]] and [[India Navigation]] labels, and to a lesser extent on the [[Arista Records]] and [[ECM (record label)|ECM]] labels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delmark.com/delmark.history.htm|title=Delmark History|work=delmark.com|access-date=2006-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409180602/http://delmark.com/delmark.history.htm|archive-date=2007-04-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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.<ref name=Reich>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/reich/ct-jazz-aacm-20150127-column.html|title=50th anniversary of AACM celebrated at DuSable Museum|author=Reich, Howard|date=January 27, 2015|work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> The AACM was formed in May 1965 by a group of musicians centered on [[pianist]] [[Muhal Richard Abrams]], who had organized an Experimental Band since 1962.<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|volume=1|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=25}}</ref> The musicians were generally steadfast in their commitment to their music, despite a lack of performance venues and sometimes indifferent audiences. From 1969 the AACM organised a music education program for inner-city youths.<ref>{{cite book|author=Litweiler, John | title=The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958 | publisher=Da Capo | year=1984|isbn=0-306-80377-1}}</ref> In the 1960s and 1970s AACM members were among the most important and innovative in all of jazz, though the AACM's contemporary influence has waned some in recent years. Many AACM members have recorded widely: in the early days on the [[Delmark Records]] Avant Garde Jazz series and later on the [[Black Saint/Soul Note]] and [[India Navigation]] labels, and to a lesser extent on the [[Arista Records]] and [[ECM (record label)|ECM]] labels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delmark.com/delmark.history.htm|title=Delmark History|work=delmark.com|access-date=2006-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409180602/http://delmark.com/delmark.history.htm|archive-date=2007-04-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>


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 [[Black Artists' Group]] (BAG) of [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. The AACM has received aid from the [[MacArthur Foundation]] and has a strong relationship with [[Columbia College Chicago|Columbia College]]. ''A Power Stronger Than Itself: The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians'' by [[George Lewis (trombonist)|George Lewis]], has been published by the University of Chicago Press (May 2008).<ref name="nyt_2008">{{Cite news | first = Nate | last=Chinen | title=Four Decades of Music That Redefined Free | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=May 2, 2008 | access-date=June 7, 2012 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/arts/music/02aacm.html}}</ref>
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 [[Black Artists' Group]] (BAG) of [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. The AACM has received aid from the [[MacArthur Foundation]] and has a strong relationship with [[Columbia College Chicago|Columbia College]]. ''A Power Stronger Than Itself: The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians'' by [[George Lewis (trombonist)|George Lewis]], has been published by the University of Chicago Press (May 2008).<ref name="nyt_2008">{{Cite news | first = Nate | last=Chinen | title=Four Decades of Music That Redefined Free | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=May 2, 2008 | access-date=June 7, 2012 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/arts/music/02aacm.html}}</ref>
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{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Edwin Daugherty]]
* [[Edwin Daugherty]]
* [[Muhal Richard Abrams]]
* [[Muhal Richard Abrams]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* [[Fred Anderson (musician)|Fred Anderson]]
* [[Fred Anderson (musician)|Fred Anderson]]
* [[JoVia Armstrong]]
* [[JoVia Armstrong]]
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* [[Mwata Bowden]]
* [[Mwata Bowden]]
* [[Lester Bowie]]
* [[Lester Bowie]]
* [[Anthony Braxton]]
* [[Anthony Braxton]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* [[Ari Brown]]
* [[Ari Brown]]
* [[Jodie Christian]]
* [[Jodie Christian]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* [[Charles Clark (musician)|Charles Clark]]
* [[Charles Clark (musician)|Charles Clark]]
* [[Phil Cohran]]
* [[Phil Cohran]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* [[Adegoke Steve Colson]]
* [[Adegoke Steve Colson]]
* [[Iqua Colson]]
* [[Iqua Colson]]
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* [[Art Turk Burton]]
* [[Art Turk Burton]]
* [[Alvin Fielder]]
* [[Alvin Fielder]]
* [[Chico Freeman]]
* [[Chico Freeman]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* Vandy Harris<ref name="Kelsey" />
* Vandy Harris<ref name="Kelsey" />
* [[Fred Hopkins]]
* [[Fred Hopkins]]
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* [[George Lewis (trombonist)|George Lewis]]
* [[George Lewis (trombonist)|George Lewis]]
* [[Maia/Sonjia Hubert Harper]]
* [[Maia/Sonjia Hubert Harper]]
* [[Steve McCall (drummer)|Steve McCall]]
* [[Steve McCall (drummer)|Steve McCall]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* [[Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre]]
* [[Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre]]
* [[Nicole Mitchell (musician)|Nicole Mitchell]]<ref name="nyt_2008"/>
* [[Nicole Mitchell (musician)|Nicole Mitchell]]<ref name="nyt_2008"/>
* [[Roscoe Mitchell]]
* [[Roscoe Mitchell]]<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
* [[Dushun Mosley]]
* [[Dushun Mosley]]
* [[Don Moye]]
* [[Don Moye]]

Revision as of 15:19, 12 August 2021

Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
AbbreviationAACM
PredecessorExperimental Band
FormationMay 1965 (1965-05)
FounderMuhal Richard Abrams, Jodie Christian, Steve McCall, Phil Cohran
TypeNon-profit organization
PurposeSupport and encourage jazz performers, composers and educators
Location
  • Chicago, Illinois
Region
U.S.
Official language
English
Key people
Henry Threadgill, Anthony Braxton, Jack DeJohnette
AffiliationsBlack Artists' Group
EndowmentMacArthur Foundation
Websiteaacmchicago.org

The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is a non-profit 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.[3] The AACM was formed in May 1965 by a group of musicians centered on pianist Muhal Richard Abrams, who had organized an Experimental Band since 1962.[4] The musicians were generally steadfast in their commitment to their music, despite a lack of performance venues and sometimes indifferent audiences. From 1969 the AACM organised a music education program for inner-city youths.[5] In the 1960s and 1970s AACM members were among the most important and innovative in all of jazz, though the AACM's contemporary influence has waned some in recent years. Many AACM members have recorded widely: in the early days on the Delmark Records Avant Garde Jazz series and later on the Black Saint/Soul Note and India Navigation labels, and to a lesser extent on the Arista Records and 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 Black Artists' Group (BAG) of 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 Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians by George 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 DuSable Museum of African American History.[3]

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

References

  1. ^ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. p. 23. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
  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. ^ a b Reich, Howard (January 27, 2015). "50th anniversary of AACM celebrated at DuSable Museum". Chicago Tribune.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1 (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  5. ^ Litweiler, John (1984). The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958. Da Capo. ISBN 0-306-80377-1.
  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. ^ a b Kelsey, Chris. "The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Avreeayl Ra". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  11. ^ Bio at Mike Reed website.

Further reading

  • Lewis, George E. (2008). A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226477037.
  • Reich, Howard. "Revolution in sound". Chicago Tribune. March 1, 2015, section 4, page 1.
  • Kot, Greg. "AACM's spirit endures in underground rock". Chicago Tribune. March 1, 2015, section 4, page 1.
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