improv
what it is
Improv: short for 'free improvisation'. Although improvisation plays a part in most musical genres, free improvisation emerges as a distinct form in itself in the 1960s. Improv can be traced back to guitarist, Derek Bailey's early perfomances with the Joseph Holbrooke Trio ,with Gavin Bryars on Bass and Tony Oxley on drums (although Group Ongaku and AMM could lay a similar claim).
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make improv a playlist
turn these 14 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is improv?
Improv: short for 'free improvisation'. Although improvisation plays a part in most musical genres, free improvisation emerges as a distinct form in itself in the 1960s. Improv can be traced back to guitarist, Derek Bailey's early perfomances with the Joseph Holbrooke Trio ,with Gavin Bryars on Bass and Tony Oxley on drums (although Group Ongaku and AMM could lay a similar claim).
What are good improv albums to start with?
Try ca214 - The Rick Jensen Quartet - The Alarmist by The Rick Jensen Quartet, Supreme Happiness Forever by Troy Schafer, sky is falling by fracoz combo, and [insubcdr07] Malachi by Hargreaves-Noyes-Duplant.
Who are some women making improv?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/improv/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making improv, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20