List of free improvising musicians and groups

This is a list of musicians and groups who compose and play free music, or free improvisation. In alphabetical order:

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Musicians

• Susan Alcorn – pedal steel guitar
• Jason Alder – clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet
• Thomas Ankersmit – saxophone, synthesizer
• Albert Ayler – saxophone
• Richard Barrett – electronics, sampler
• Derek Bailey – guitar ^[1]
• Conny Bauer – trombone
• Burkhard Beins – percussion
• Samm Bennett – percussion, electronics
• Han Bennink – percussion
• Steve Beresford – piano
• Jean-Jacques Birge – synthesizer
• Jeb Bishop – trombone
• Anthony Braxton – saxophones
• John Wolf Brennan – piano, prepared piano, melodica, pipe organ
• Olie Brice – double bass
• Peter Brötzmann – saxophone, tárogató
• Tony Buck – percussion
• John Butcher – saxophone
• Captain Beefheart – saxophone, clarinet, voice
• Kent Carter – double bass
• Graham Clark – violin
• Ornette Coleman – saxophone ^[2]
• Tom Cora – cello, bass guitar, drums
• Lol Coxhill – saxophone
• Marilyn Crispell – piano
• Stephen Crowe – guitar, electric guitar
• Alvin Curran - electronics
• Chris Cutler – percussion
• Tobias Delius – saxophone
• Poulomi Desai - modified sitars and electronics ^[3]
• Christy Doran – guitar
• Mark Dresser – double bass
• Kevin Drumm – guitar, synthesizer
• Paul Dunmall – saxophone
• Ellery Eskelin – tenor saxophone
• Karlheinz Essl – electronics
• Julia Feldman – voice
• Simon H. Fell – double bass
• Robert Fripp - guitar, mellotron
• Fred Frith – guitar, violin
• Cor Fuhler – piano, keyolin, synthesizer
• Bernhard Gal – electronics
• Joel Garten – piano
• Charles Gayle – saxophone, piano, bass clarinet
• Seppe Gebruers – the first improvised quartertone pianist
• Richard Grayson – piano
• Mats Gustafsson – saxophone, flutophone
• Barry Guy – double bass
• Keiji Haino – guitar, voice
• Hans Hassler - accordion
• Gerry Hemingway – drums
• Zach Hill – drums
• Killick Erik Hinds – h'arpeggione
• Tim Hodgkinson – saxophone
• Theo Joergensmann – basset clarinet
• Ryan Jones – electric bass
• Henry Kaiser – guitar
• Leonel Kaplan – trumpet
• Basil Kirchin – drums
• Peter Kowald – double bass
• Savina Yannatou – voice
• Caroline Kraabel – saxophone
• Steve Lacy – saxophone
• Kathryn Ladano – bass clarinet
• Yuri Landman – string instruments
• Jeanne Lee – voice
• Thomas Lehn – synthesizer
• George E. Lewis – trombone, electronics
• Joelle Leandre – double bass, vocals
• Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello
• Paul Lovens – drums
• Paul Lytton – drums
• Frederik Magle – organ
• Radu Malfatti – trombone
• Joe Maneri – saxophone, clarinet
• Mario Mariani – piano, objects
• Elio Martusciello – computer, guitar
• Mattin
• Guerino Mazzola – piano
• Misha Mengelberg – piano, toys
• Phil Minton – voice
• Louis Moholo – drums
• Gabriela Montero – piano
• Michael Moore – saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
• Thurston Moore – guitar
• Butch Morris – cornet, conductor
• Jamie Muir – percussion
• Stephen Nachmanovitch – violin, electric violin, viola
• Lauren Newton - voice
• Maggie Nicols – voice
• Mary Oliver – violin, viola
• Tony Oxley – percussion
• Sonia Paço-Rocchia – bassoon, found and invented instruments, live electronics
• Evan Parker – saxophones
• William Parker – double bass
• Mike Patton – voice, piano, synthesizer
• Barre Phillips – double bass
• Andreas Paolo Perger – guitar
• Pierre Pincemaille – organ
• Eddie Prevost – percussion, drums
• Sun Ra ^[4] — Keyboards, piano, minimoog
• Randy Raine-Reusch – zheng, khaen, sho, kayageum, ichigenkin
• Lee Ranaldo – guitar
• Marc Rebillet — electronics, keyboards, voice
• Hans Reichel – guitar, daxophone ^[1]
• Ernst Reijseger – cello
• Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – guitar
• Keith Rowe – guitar ^[1]
• John Russell – guitar
• Paul Rutherford – trombone
• Frederic Rzewski
• Carlos Sandoval – gloves with sensors
• Giancarlo Schiaffini – trombone
• Alexander von Schlippenbach – piano
• Steven Schoenberg – piano
• Irene Schweizer – piano
• Matthew Shipp – piano
• Gary Smith – guitar
• John Stevens – percussion, trumpet
• György Szabados – piano
• Cecil Taylor – piano
• Benedict Taylor – viola
• Pat Thomas – piano, keyboards
• John Tilbury – piano
• Keith Tippett – piano
• Julie Tippetts – voice
• Tommy Vig – vibraphone, drums
• Bernard Vitet – trumpet
• Voice Crack – electronics
• Philipp Wachsmann – violin
• John Bruce Wallace – electric guitar
• Jane Wang (composer and musician) – double bass
• Trevor Watts – saxophone
• Kenny Wheeler – trumpet
• Wolter Wierbos – trombone
• Wu Fei - guzheng
• Otomo Yoshihide – guitar, turntable
• Reynaldo Young – guitar, electronics
• Carlos Zingaro – violin, electronics
• John Zorn – saxophone
• Frank Zappa – Guitar
• Jerry Garcia – Guitar, Face Stealer
• Bob Weir – Guitar
• Phil Lesh – Bass Guitar
• Bill Kreutzmann – Drums
• Mickey Hart – Drums, Percussion
• Ron "Pigpen" McKernan – Hammond organ, Harmonica
• Keith Godchaux – Piano
• Trey Anastasio – Guitar, Face Melter
• Mike Gordon – Bass Guitar
• Page McConnell – Piano, Keyboards
• Jon Fishman – Drums

Groups

• A Band
• AMM
• Borbetomagus
• Brotherhood of Breath
• EOTO
• Feminist Improvising Group
• Fred Frith Trio
• Goose
• Grateful Dead
• Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza
• Henry Cow
• Henry Now
• Islak Köpek
• King Crimson
• Last Exit
• M.I.M.E.O.
• Massacre
• MATH
• Maybe Monday
• Mujician
• Musica Elettronica Viva
• nmperign
• Phish
• poire z
• Scatter
• Shaking Ray Levis
• Skeleton Crew
• Smegma
• Spontaneous Music Ensemble
• Storm & Stress
• Supersilent
• Triangulation
• Un Drame Musical Instantane
• Wolf Eyes
• Zoochosis
• Zoviet France
• Pandemonium

References

1. Berendt, Joachim-Ernst; Huesmann, Gunther (2009). The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to the 21st Century (7 ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Lawrence Hill Books. p. 433. ISBN   978-1-55652820-0.
2. Bailey, C. Michael. "Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz". All About Jazz . Retrieved 29 December 2022.
3. "Poulomi Desai: The Oram Awards 2020". PRS for Music Foundation. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
4. Sun Ra Allaboutjazz.com 31 December 2022