MEV

Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) was formed in Rome in 1966, coalescing around the core trio of Alvin Curran, Frederic Rzewski, and Richard Teitelbaum alongside early participants Allan Bryant, Jon Phetteplace, Carol Plantamura, and Ivan Vandor. Working with contact microphones on unconventional objects — bed springs, glass, tin cans, toy pianos — alongside conventional instruments and homemade synthesizers, MEV became one of the first live electronic improvisation groups; soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy performed with Curran and Rzewski in its late-1960s sets. The group remained active into the 2010s.