Free jazz

Free jazz is a kind of experimental music that started from jazz in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Musicians wanted to move away from old rules such as steady tempos, fixed tones, and regular chord changes. They thought earlier jazz styles like bebop and modal jazz were too strict and wanted to try something entirely new. The term "free jazz" originated from a famous 1960 recording by Ornette Coleman titled Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation.

Free jazz can be difficult to describe because it means different things to different people. It is typically performed by small groups, although sometimes large bands play it as well. Even though it is considered modern and innovative, it often includes ideas from older jazz styles and music from around the world. Musicians may use instruments from Africa or Asia, or even create their own unique instruments. The main idea is to express strong emotions and explore various sounds and textures in music.

Characteristics

Free jazz was a new style of jazz that started in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Musicians wanted to try something different and break away from old jazz rules like steady beats and set chord changes. They were inspired by saxophonist Ornette Coleman and wanted to make music that felt more free and creative.

In free jazz, musicians often play without following strict musical forms or rhythms. They focus more on expressing their own unique sound and style. This style sometimes uses sounds from other types of music, like African, Arabic, and Indian music. Free jazz also drew inspiration from earlier jazz styles and world instruments, showing a love for different musical traditions. Over time, free jazz gained respect and became an important part of jazz history.

History

Free jazz began in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Musicians wanted to try new things and break old rules about speed, sounds, and chords in jazz. They thought older styles like bebop and modal jazz were too limiting.

Important early free jazz musicians included Lennie Tristano, who used techniques like atonal group improvisation. Other early examples include works by Bob Graettinger and Jimmy Giuffre.

Ornette Coleman was a key figure. He did not use pre-written chords and focused on freely improvised melodies. His albums like The Shape of Jazz to Come and Change of the Century were big steps forward. His 1960 recording Free Jazz used two quartets playing separately, creating a bold new sound that gave the movement its name.

Other important free jazz musicians included pianist Cecil Taylor, who used unusual piano techniques, and Albert Ayler, who used unique saxophone sounds and simple melodies. John Coltrane also explored free jazz in albums like Ascension. Sun Ra used electronic instruments and unusual percussion in his free jazz compositions.

Free jazz scenes also developed in cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Los Angeles in the 1960s. By the 1970s, free jazz in New York mixed with other music styles, but it remained an important influence.

Other media

Canadian artist Stan Douglas used free jazz to show ideas about African-American music. In 1992, he showed a video called Hors-champs, meaning "off-screen," at documenta 9. The video featured four American musicians—George E. Lewis, Douglas Ewart, Kent Carter, and Oliver Johnson—who lived in France. They played a piece called "Spirits Rejoice" by Albert Ayler.

Another Canadian artist, Michael Snow, made a film in 1964 called New York Eye and Ear Control. The music was created by a group including Albert Ayler's musicians. People compare this music to important free jazz recordings.

French artist Jean-Max Albert played trumpet in one of the first free jazz groups in France during the 1960s. Later, he created artworks inspired by free jazz. Jean-Max Albert continues to explore free jazz ideas in films.

In the world

The Quatuor de Jazz Libre du Québec began in Canada in 1967 and became known for free jazz. Free jazz also grew in Europe and Japan. Famous European musicians included saxophonists like Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, and trombonist Conny Bauer. They often focused more on free improvisation and moved away from traditional jazz styles. Brötzmann especially influenced jazz players in the United States.

In Japan, musicians such as drummer Masahiko Togashi and guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi helped start the free jazz movement. Other musicians came from places behind the iron curtain, like Janusz Muniak from Poland. Some artists from Brazil and Argentina, such as Ivo Perelman and Gato Barbieri, also joined the free jazz world.

South African artists mixed free jazz with African rhythms, and American musicians like Don Cherry and John Coltrane added sounds from Africa, India, and the Middle East to their free jazz.