How old were you when you started appreciating atonality in music?

Was fed a diet of Frank Zappa, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Steely Dan from the age of 2 or 3. Was a huge fan of "One Size Fits All" by the age of 4. So I think my ears have always been accustomed to non-standard harmony. In fact I find it harder to remember simpler melodies.

None of the music you two describe is atonal.

Beepster
 
 
I kind of didn't want to say anything but... ya. I don't consider "modal" or quirky "chord to chord" stuff to be atonal.
 
I am not a classically trained though so perhaps I am misusing words in an attempt to appear SMRT.
 
So let's say "noise that should not make sense but somehow does... if you squint your earballs in just the right way".
 
;-)

 
The first one was joke, Les Dawson was very clever at playing badly. The Monk piece isn't Atonal, but there was an atonality to his voicing. that as a kid I liked when he was being played. So this is where I first appreciated Atonality.  His atonality and phrasing meant many listeners write him off.
 
I never got Ornette Coleman though, so I probably ddn't progress much further
 
 

The Beatles - Day in a life. I remember hearing that when it came out originally - I was probably 8 - 9 years old.

sharke

eph221
None of the music you two describe is atonal.

Zappa had elements of atonality all over his music. 

Atonality doesn't merely have atonal elements, it means against tonality, or actually conspiring to lack tonality.  What frank zappa did was more chromatic designs than atonal designs.  Just like A-theism presumes a god that doesn't exist (and hence a god that exists over against that which they say doesn't exist) a-tonality presumes tonality (which is absent.)  BTW Webern is my favorite of the atonal composers but I can't help hysterically laughing at Pierrot Lunaire (by schoenberg)when I hear it live.  Sometimes I think the composers are telling us not to take things so seriously,  like a caricature of Marlene Dietrich singing three penny opera.

The first time I played the piano. I was 5. I studied classical piano with the soloist for the St. Louis Philharmonic from 10-12.
 
When I was 14, I happened on a Miles Davis show (I was looking for ANYTHING like Buddy Guy) in Old Town Chicago (Wells St.). It was the night before Xmas Eve. I snuck out of my relative's house and took the train downtown to look for some blues. I saw a line of peeps going into a club on Wells and figured it had to be the best blues, right? I was 5'10" (1.78 m) and hooded up for winter, I could get into anyplace. Bouncers were more interested in stopping trouble back then (1965). Anyway, the club was called the Plugged Nickel and it was the first of two nights. How freakin' lucky was that? 30-some years later, I was able to buy the Sony 8-CD set of both nights!
 
When did I fall by the wayside?
 
I could see where Coltrane was going, even if I couldn't follow him there.
 
But Dexter Gordon? He lost me.