John Coltrane

[SteveO]

In most cases ,not all, avant garde musiciains have paid their dues so to speak by several hours of woodshedding (practising), then playing straight ahead jazz so to speak. I discovered that a few of the major free jazz players have previously released some great be bop/hard bop records like Eric Dolphy, Garbarek and Coltrane and then they veer off into the avant garde. I don't know the reason...perhaps they simply want more artistic freedom ?

I find the Braxton albums are fun to listen to because he uses mainstream jazz and then switches to avant garde so the listener doesn't know what's coming next !,,,very entertaining to me !

I think my favorite sax player is Sonny Stitt, followed closely or tied with Dexter Gordon . There's definitely far too many good saxophonists to mention. and I haven't heard of everybody you mentioned, but I'll be sure to check them out! I used to not really appreciate 'free jazz' at all... It sounded like a band of epileptic goats with alzheimer's decided to take up instruments. My ear is definitely more mature now, though- and the concept behind the improvised harmony blows my mind every time I think about it.