In "Experimental Otherwise", Benjamin Piekut takes the reader into the heart of what we mean by 'experimental' in avant-garde music. Focusing on one place and time - New York City, 1964 - Piekut examines five disparate events: the New York Philharmonic's disastrous performance of John Cage's Atlas Eclipticalis; Henry Flynt's demonstrations against the downtown avant-garde; Charlotte Moorman's Avant Garde Festival; the founding of the Jazz Composers Guild; and, the emergence of Iggy Pop. Drawing together a colorful array of personalities, Piekut argues that each of these examples points to a failure and marks a limit or boundary of canonical experimentalism. What emerges from these marginal moments is an accurate picture of the avant-garde, not as a style or genre, but as a network defined by disagreements, struggles, and exclusions.

About the Author
Benjamin Piekut is Assistant Professor of Musicology at Cornell University.

Reviews
"Richly deserving superlatives, [Experimentalism Otherwise] is a memorable, exciting, rigorous, and beautifully written book of considerable importance." -- Edward Crooks, University of York Tacet "This is an important book, and should be part of every academic music library." -- Clemens Greeser Notes (Music Library Assoc) "Objective, insightful prose" All About Jazz "An original and important book... Impressive in its scope... A concise and focused account." -- Thomas Fogg Current Musicology "Experimental Otherwise crafts a surprisingly strong narrative." -- Dave Cantor Skyscraper



Book Information
ISBN 9780520268517
Author Benjamin Piekut
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 408g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm