AMM

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London, England (1965 – present)

AMM is a British free improvisation group, founded in London, England in 1965.

AMM have never been well-known to the general public, but have been, in their own way, hugely influential on several generations of adventurous musicians. AMM has been called “legendary” and “groundbreaking.” They are notable as the perhaps the first musical group to deliberately try to make music not related to any established musical genre: as Michael Nyman wrote, “AMM seem to have worked without the benefit or hindrance of any kind of prepared external discipline. ” In a 2001 interview, founding member Keith Rowe was asked if “AMM” was an abbreviation; he replied, “The letters AMM stand for something, but as you probably know it’s a secret!” There is an unconfirmed story that one of the group’s members told John Stevens, in a confidence that Stevens failed to keep, that the letters stood for Art, Music, Madness.

AMM was initially composed of Keith Rowe on guitar, Lou Gare on saxophone and Eddie Prévost on drums. Rowe and Gare were members of Mike Westbrook’s band; Prevost and Gare were also in a hard bop jazz quintet. The three men shared a common interest in exploring music beyond the boundaries of conventional jazz, as part of a larger movement that helped spawn European free jazz and free improvisation.

No AMM performance was ever planned; each was unique and spontaneous. The musicians tended to avoid any conventional melody, harmony or rhythm, and further sought an ensemble sound that often obscured any individual’s role.

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