Musical Minimalism

The minimalist aesthetic cuts across all genres of music. Here are some examples:

Classical: Morton Feldman's works exemplify minimalism in modern classical music. UPDATE 6-26: Those conversant in modern classical will note that my application of the term to Feldman doesn't fit with the most common application, which refers to the compositions of people like Terry Riley and Philip Glass, whose music features the extreme repetition of patterns.

Rock: Pretty much all of the Ramone's catalogue fits the bill. It's still amazing to recall how many people were angered by their music because it eschewed virtuoso guitar solos, etc. Time has shown who won that argument (and it wasn't the prog rockers).

Jazz: Miles Davis's "In a Silent Way" is a gorgeous bit of lyrical, serene minimalism. Composed by the late Joe Zawinal.

Blues: The blues form is the essence of minimalism; it's the haiku of Western music. Twelve bars; repeat the first line twice; then end with a one line kicker. Blues can get maximal with horns and shredding guitar solos, but it can also remain minimalist, as in the music of Muddy Waters or Mississippi John Hurt. Muddy's seminal "Mannish Boy" is actually just one chord and one riff, with declamatory vocals gradually ramping up the intensity.

Rap/Hip Hop: For popular music, rap can get pretty arty. Maximalist words get paired with minimalist beats and sometimes even the complete absence of chord changes. This genre grows out of James Brown's breakthrough funk style in which everything gets boiled down to the rhythm.

Ambient: None do it better than he of the minimalist name: Eno (one spelled backwards).

Reggae: The whole sub-genre of Dub is minimalist.