A Break from Tradition

Free form and avant-garde is also known as free improvisation. Free jazz is not defined or constricted by harmonic or rhythmic forms like those prescribed by earlier jazz practices. The musical material for free improvisation originated from spontaneous composition rather than from a commonly known tune or predetermined melody. This type of music can be compared to action or a nonrepresentational painting, such as the work of painter Jackson Pollock. Free-form jazz proves to be the fullest expression of spontaneous composition, and improvisation takes the dominant role.

Avant-garde means to stand against the status quo. The free-form manner of expression proves to be the ultimate in improvisation. The free-form player places the importance of individuality of self-expression ahead of popularity or acceptance by the general audience.

The Performers

Saxophonist Ornette Coleman (1930– ) is one of the most controversial free jazz players. Coleman is recognized as the first leader of the jazz avant-garde. He initiated a controversy of strong, opposing opinions from many of the other established jazz leaders, including Miles Davis and Charles Mingus. Coleman, who had an extensive background in blues bands, was the first player to move all the way into harmonic freedom through improvisation.

Pianist Cecil Taylor (1933– ) attended the New England Conservatory of Music. His music is a fusion of classical compositional practices and jazz improvisations and may be considered as either classical or jazz. His 1966 recording of Enter Evening is an example of Taylor’s free-form style. His use of oboe and bass clarinet is consistent with the third stream’s earlier use of traditionally classical instruments. The performance of this piece freely interprets harmony, meter, and also many of the usual melodic jazz idioms. His music consists of long, uninterrupted compositions that require stamina from his listeners and players.

Saxophonist (tenor/soprano) John Coltrane (1926–1967) is commonly known for his long improvisations (sometimes 40 minutes in length). Coltrane produced a large, dark, lush sound from his instrument and had great coordination between his fingering of the saxophone and his tonguing. Coltrane played with Miles Davis before leading his own group. His sense of melody is displayed in one of his most celebrated performances on a Rodgers and Hammerstein tune. He performed My Favorite Things with his quartet and explored modal and extended harmonies within this more traditional song.

Chicago Style of Free Jazz

Pianist, composer, and arranger Sun Ra (c.1915–1992) was a controversial jazz figure. He is lauded by some listeners as a great innovator who carefully balanced composition and improvisation and dismissed as a charlatan by others. He experimented with electronic instruments and was the first composer in Chicago to employ techniques of collective improvisation in big-band compositions. Another Chicago group is the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM). The AACM explores world-based modern jazz music. Art Ensemble of Chicago emphasizes collective interaction, a wide range of tone colors, the exploration of sound structures, and the suspension of fixed rhythmic support.

Anthony Braxton (1945– ), composer, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and conductor, is a leader in the musical area of closed-and-open composition. He studied at Roosevelt University and Chicago Musical College and spent the mid 1960’s in Chicago with the AACM. His music tends to show more measured qualities associated with more fully composed music.

Contemporary Avant-Garde

Alto saxophonist Greg Osby (1960– ) attended Howard University and the Berklee College of Music. He joined the avant-garde school of the 1960s. Henry Threadgill, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader, wrote over 150 compositions and has musical roots firmly in America’s Great Black Music tradition. His philosophical approach to music values jazz’s evolution and looks to external influences for fresh material.