AMM (group)

For the Arabian deity, see Amm (god).

AMM is an important 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" [1] (http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/1124) and "groundbreaking." [2] (http://www.mdos.at/recorddetail.php?id=5062&md3c=2b7bf87acf7d74a9d5e46bf1d21b0b23)

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.

In a 2001 interview, 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!"[3] (http://www.paristransatlantic.com/magazine/interviews/rowe.html)

Members of the group have come and gone over the years, but Rowe and Prevost have usually been present for most recordings and performances; the latter has been the only constant in the nearly four decades of AMM music.

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. It was, and remains, sometimes difficult to discern which musical instrument is making which specific sound on an AMM recording, due in part to liberal use of various extended techniques. Prévost has written, "The player could, at times, share a timeless immersion in a world of sound, while simultaneously being free to pursue their individual paths. It was not uncommon for the musician to wonder who or what was producing a particular sound, stop playing, and discover it was he himself who had been responsible." [4] (http://www.matchlessrecordings.com/leaving_history.html)

AMM released their first recording, AMMMusic 1966, on Electra Records U.K. in 1966. With this release, there were some initial similarities to free jazz, due in part to Gare's saxophone. One critic has written, however, that the resemblance was rather slight: "the overall sound of the group, even in 1966, was so different, so idiosyncratic, that it's not at all surprising that both new jazz and contemporary classical audiences were baffled, if not horrified." [5] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB040406152209571317&sql=A60q3g4ettvjz)

The next AMM material to see release were the important The Crypt sessions from June 12, 1968. Further "out" and even less conventional than earlier material, one critic has written "An eerie sensation inevitably accompanies each listen to the raw streams of electric noise channeled on AMM’s second album and early masterpiece, The Crypt. To ears informed by the twenty-first century, it’s the uncanny feeling of listening to three-and-a-half decades of experimental music history as delivered in a chillingly prescient sort of reverse premonition... It’s a little unnerving that the only records that seem to accurately describe the brave new soundworld harnessed on The Crypt came into being well after its creation." [6] (http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=334)

The Crypt sessions have been issued multiple times; twice in the 1980s as a double LP, and it is now available (with extra material, billed as "The Complete Sessions") on a double CD from Matchless Recordings. The Crypt continues to inspire adventurous listeners; in the liner notes to the 1992 double CD, Prévost writes, "Despite being (arguably) the most ‘difficult’ material on Matchless, The Crypt has been a mainstay for the label. It obviously pays not to underestimate the audience. Its continued success has enabled us to release other works. So we felt committed, obliged almost, to keep it available... this music has proved itself not to be ephemeral." [7] (http://www.matchlessrecordings.com/sleeve_notes/mrcd05.html)

Composer Cornelius Cardew joined AMM in 1966, performing on piano and cello. He worked with AMM intermittently until his death in 1981. Composer Christian Wolff performed with AMM in 1968. Later collaborators have included saxophonist Evan Parker and cellist Rohan de Saram.

Rowe left AMM for a period in the early 1970s; Prévost and Gare carried on as a duo. This was arguably AMM's most jazz-like era, though Prévost has stated the music was "decidedly non-jazz." [8] (http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/reviews/000458.html)

Rowe rejoined in the mid-1970s, and shortly thereafter, Gare departed, leaving a Rowe-Prévost duo for a period before pianist John Tilbury--previously an occasional AMM collaborator--joined about 1980. This edition of AMM generally explored quiter, more meditative sounds (though they could generate a cacophonous racket when so inclined), perhaps having more in common with minimalism; one critic has noted, however, that this trio have still managed "after more than 35 years as a functioning unit, to avoid routines and ruts while retaining an unmistakable 'AMM-ness' is astonishing." [9] (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB040406152209571317&sql=Aex5uaknk0m3k) Perhaps the most notable shift was in Rowe's approach: His playing grew increasingly subtle, and was often described in painterly terms, as though he were offering a canvas for the other musicians to color.

The Prévost/Rowe/Tilbury edition of the group remained stable for two decades. But Rowe's increasing involvement with what has become known as "electroacoustic improvisation" ("eai" for short), especially under the aegis of Jon Abbey's Erstwhile Records, meant that more of his musical activities began to take place outside AMM. After a period of increasing tension, Rowe is now no longer part of the group, and it presently unclear whether AMM will continue as a Prévost/Tilbury duo or pursue some other path; however, Prévost and Tilbury performed as AMM in London during December, 2004, with Sachiko M joining as a guest.[10] (http://www.ongakusound.com/amm.html)

The trio's last performance with Rowe is documented on the 2005 double-CD Apogee (apparently released against Rowe's wishes). The set is shared with another of the electronic improvisational ensembles that emerged during the 1960s: Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV). The first CD is a studio recording in a joint session in England on April 30th 2004 featuring MEV's Alvin Curran, Richard Teitelbaum and Frederic Rzewski with Prévost-Rowe-Tilbury. This is the first occasion that the two ensembles have performed together, but not the first time they have shared a split release - each outfit filled a side of the LP Live Electronic Music Improvised, released on a US label in 1968 (AMM's side features excerpts from The Crypt sessions; MEV's side is an excerpt from their magnum opus "Spacecraft."). The second CD consists of the performances that each group gave at a festival held in London on May 1, 2004.

External links

• Official Site: http://www.matchlessrecordings.com/
• History and discography: [11] (http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi/mamm.html)