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:
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
- ^ a b c 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.
 - ^ Bailey, C. Michael. "Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
 - ^ "Poulomi Desai: The Oram Awards 2020". PRS for Music Foundation. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
 - ^ Sun Ra Allaboutjazz.com 31 December 2022