Avant-garde, jazz, pop, classical, country and western, rock, free, straight-ahead, etc. are ultimately meaningless terms in the face of the music being discussed at best - at worst, those terms often serve as code words for what is in fact a cultural / political discussion more than a musical one.
Pat MethenyI love playing and working on music. It is something that I feel really lucky to be able to spend my life doing. And I don't sleep much!
Pat Metheny