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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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 — Keyboards, piano, minimoog
 * Randy Raine-Reusch – zheng, khaen, sho, kayageum, ichigenkin
 * Lee Ranaldo – guitar
 * Marc Rebillet — electronics, keyboards, voice
 * Hans Reichel – guitar, daxophone
 * Ernst Reijseger – cello
 * Omar Rodriguez-Lopez – guitar
 * Keith Rowe – guitar
 * 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
 * San Agustin
 * Scatter
 * Shaking Ray Levis
 * Skeleton Crew
 * Spontaneous Music Ensemble
 * Storm & Stress
 * Supersilent
 * Triangulation
 * Un Drame Musical Instantane
 * Wolf Eyes
 * Zoochosis
 * Zoviet France