Avant Slant

Avant Slant (subtitled One Plus 1 = II?) is an album by American jazz ensemble the John Benson Brooks Trio, released in September 1968 by Decca Records. Produced by Decca A&R executive Milt Gabler, it was pianist and bandleader John Benson Brooks' third and final released recording, arriving ten years after his previous record, the acclaimed Alabama Concerto (1958).

The record is a sound collage that draws from several primary sources, namely The Twelves–a 1962 live performance by Brooks' ensemble in which they improvised within the twelve-tone technique–and D.J.-ology, a musique concrète tape that Brooks privately created which consisted of numerous sound effects, one-liners and excerpts of records and radio broadcasts. Gabler contributed additional pop songs to the final album, which he largely created himself. The record uses the Brooks trio's dissonant live music as a backbone while cutting to sampled audio and recordings of poetry, comedy, spoken comments, speeches and found sounds. Themes of war, racism, identity and personal freedom underpin the record.

On release, Avant Slant was a critical and commercial disappointment. Although reviews ranged from positive to negative, many expressed puzzlement at the record. Some critics and listeners who enjoyed Brooks' prior work in experimental jazz found that The Twelves material was devalued by the presence of the pop culture-centric D.J.-ology snippets. Despite this, the album has gone on to be credited as a prophetic release in the fields of sampling and mashups.