Originating Location: US
Originating Era: 1950s
Key Artists[]
- Ornette Coleman
- Eric Dolphy
- Cecil Taylor
- Albert Ayler
- Archie Shepp
- Bill Dixon
- Paul Bley
- John Coltrane
- Peter Brötzmann
- Ken Vandermark
- William Parker
- John Zorn
- George Lewis
- Derek Bailey
- Sun Ra
- Kaoru Abe
- Otomo Yoshihide
Key Albums[]
- Otomo Yoshihide - Dreams
- Ornette Coleman - Something Else
Genre Description[]
Free Jazz is a form of jazz music that eschews formal structure, and is often improvised and experimental. There is much in common with Noise music of today, though Free Jazz is typically played with traditional jazz instruments. Timing and beat is often fluid in free jazz, and there are often dissonant passages, though typically a whole piece will come together and sound "complete". There is often a melody, though it's often buried and hard to find. It is one of the more experimental forms of jazz, and often has as many detractors as adherents.
