Avant garde jazz in clubs in the '60's

[mjzee]

I'm listening to John Patton's "Boogaloo," recorded in 1968. In the liner notes to the 75th Anniversary edition, Michael Cuscuna notes "Patton made his debut on Blue Note in 1963 and stayed with the label until 1970. But as the '60s progressed, he seemed more inclined to superimpose avant garde elements onto his brand of funk using musicians such as Harold Alexander and later James Blood Ulmer." Which got me to thinking...

What was the reception of these "avant garde elements" in the jazz clubs around the country? Were the audiences in, say, Newark, hootin' and hollerin', or were they turned off? Are there any members here who attended one of these club dates, by Patton or someone else also experimenting, who can give a first hand account? I know Ornette made quite a splash in Manhattan clubs, but it's hard to picture him playing a club in, say, Newark or St. Louis. But that's Ornette, who's more on the "art" side of the music. I would imagine a John Patton fed off the vibe given back by the audience. Were they into it, or did they give the cold shoulder?

[JSngry]

[clifford_thornton]

I am not sure what the audience was like, but I know that avant-garde groups performed at the Both/And in San Francisco with some regularity during the 1960s.

There are recordings of Albert Ayler and Frank Wright playing at a rock club called La Cave in Cleveland. Wasn't there an Ayler gig or two at a club in Newark? I seem to remember reading about something like that...