Avant-garde jazz, while using the same types of instruments as previous forms of jazz, and some of the same playing techniques, took the genre in a completely different direction. Musicians in the genre would make the element of experimentation and unconventionality the foremost aspect of the music. The atmosphere of this music was often dark, chaotic, and perplexing. Some composers would use uncommon time signatures and craft extremely detailed and melodic compositions. A sub-genre of avant-garde jazz was free jazz, which eschewed all elements of traditional structure and rhythm completely, and consisted of an ensemble playing their instruments chaotically (Slawinski).
One part of what made the Polish avant-garde jazz scene so unique was its combination of Eastern and Western musical elements (Jakelski, InterContinental). Composers borrowed elements of improvisation from Western artists, such as John Coltrane, but some others also incorporated the sensibility and instrumentation of local Polish folk into their jazz recordings. This was partly because American records were not very accessible to musicians, so they played by their instincts. However, the incorporation of traditional Polish elements into the music may have also represented a sense of national pride against a dominant Soviet government; Mycielski claimed that “composers should create characteristically Polish works whose emotional content would speak to society” (Jakelski). Even though avant-garde jazz was a largely instrumental genre, it still represented an anti-communist sentiment for many; the scene’s artists were not ashamed to spread music inspired by a capitalist Western culture. At the same time, the genre was also authentically Polish and free from Soviet propaganda. The genre’s playfulness and lack of boundaries also represented freedom, and set the scene for a counter-cultural rebellion to occur.
Some attempts by critics to justify the Polish government’s support of the avant-garde scene try to use this fact to write Poland as an opposer of the Cold War. Western critics saw Polish avant-garde music as a strong symbol of resistance against communist rule. This contradicted a common stereotype that all music that came from communist countries was merely propaganda. Not all Eastern European countries had a government who supported the avant-garde scene as much as the Polish government did, which made the scene so unique (Jakelski). While many avant-garde jazz musicians certainly had an anti-communist sentiment, this was not the case with the Polish government themselves. Leaders such as Gomułka allowed jazz, but did not support its political rebellion. There was also a level of separation between avant-garde jazz musicians and the government, simply because the music was merely incomprehensible to the authorities. The music was mostly instrumental, and its cold, perplexing, and “crazy” image was enough for the government to simply leave them alone in a way (InterContinental).
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