A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music

Founded in 1965 and still active today, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is an American institution with an international reputation. George E. Lewis, who joined the collective as a teenager in 1971, establishes the full importance and vitality of the AACM with this communal history, written with a symphonic sweep that draws on a cross-generational chorus of voices and a rich collection of rare images. Moving from Chicago to New York to Paris, and from founding member Steve McCall's kitchen table to Carnegie Hall, "A Power Stronger Than Itself" uncovers a vibrant, multicultural universe and brings to light a major piece of the history of avant-garde music and art.

About the Author :
George E. Lewis is the Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music at Columbia University. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002, Lewis has made over 120 recordings as composer or performer, and his publications on experimental music appear regularly in scholarly and popular journals.

Review :
"An important book.... Mr. Lewis narrates the AACM's development with exacting context and incisive analysis.... Because the book includes biographical portraits of so many participating musicians, it's a swift, engrossing read." - New York Times "In bringing intellectual breadth and what Lester Bowie calls 'good old country ass-kicking' to bear on past and present indignities, Lewis has produced a fitting companion to the music he celebrates." - Nation "With A Power Stronger Than Itself, Lewis exceeds expectations. For rather than merely recount the ascent of the AACM, he elegantly sets it against the backdrop of cultural, racial, and social changes that shook the twentieth century.... Lewis unreels this tale with dramatic flourish and scholarly authority, in effect telling the story of not only the AACM but also the city where it's centered, Chicago." - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune"