Although free jazz is widely considered to begin in the late 1950s, there are compositions that precede this era that have notable connections to the free jazz aesthetic. Some of the works of
Lennie Tristano in the late 1940s, particularly "
Intuition", "Digression", and "Descent into the Maelstrom" exhibit the use of techniques associated with free jazz, such as
atonal collective improvisation and lack of discrete chord changes. Other notable examples of proto-free jazz include
City of Glass written in 1948 by
Bob Graettinger for the
Stan Kenton band and
Jimmy Giuffre's 1953 "Fugue". It can be argued, however, that these works are more representative of
third stream jazz with its references to
contemporary classical music techniques such as
serialism. He includes
John Zorn,
Henry Kaiser,
Eugene Chadbourne,
Tim Berne,
Bill Frisell,
Steve Lacy, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and
Ray Anderson in this genre, which continues "the tradition of the '50s to '60s free-jazz mode". These albums do not follow typical 32-bar form and often employ abrupt changes in tempo and mood. The free jazz movement received its biggest impetus when Coleman moved from the west coast to New York City and was signed to
Atlantic. Albums such as
The Shape of Jazz to Come and
Change of the Century marked a radical step beyond his more conventional early work. On these albums, he strayed from the tonal basis that formed the lines of his earlier albums and began truly examining the possibilities of atonal improvisation. The most important recording to the free jazz movement from Coleman during this era, however, came with
Free Jazz, recorded in A&R Studios in New York in 1960. It marked an abrupt departure from the highly structured compositions of his past. Recorded with a double quartet separated into left and right channels,
Free Jazz brought a more aggressive, cacophonous texture to Coleman's work, and the record's title would provide the name for the nascent free jazz movement. Taylor marked his transition to free jazz, as his compositions were composed almost without notated scores, devoid of conventional jazz meter, and harmonic progression. This direction influenced by drummer Andrew Cyrille, who provided rhythmic dynamism outside the conventions of bebop and swing In a 1963 interview with
Jazz Magazine, Coltrane said he felt indebted to Coleman. While Coltrane's desire to explore the limits of solo improvisation and the possibilities of innovative form and structure was evident in records like
A Love Supreme, his work owed more to the tradition of
modal jazz and
post-bop. But with the recording of
Ascension in 1965, Coltrane demonstrated his appreciation for the new wave of free jazz innovators.
The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra (1965) was steeped in what could be referred to as a new black mysticism. The title track of Charles Mingus'
Pithecanthropus Erectus contained one improvised section in a style unrelated to the piece's melody or chord structure. His contributions were primarily in his efforts to bring back collective improvisation in a music scene that had become dominated by solo improvisation as a result of big bands. In St. Louis, the multidisciplinary
Black Artists Group was active between 1968 and 1972. Pianist
Horace Tapscott founded the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and
Union of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension in Los Angeles. Although they did not organize as formally, a notable number of free jazz musicians were also active in Albert Ayler's hometown of Cleveland. They included
Charles Tyler,
Norman Howard, and the
Black Unity Trio. By the 1970s, the setting for avant-garde jazz was shifting to New York City. Arrivals included
Arthur Blythe,
James Newton, and
Mark Dresser, beginning the period of New York
loft jazz. As the name may imply, musicians during this time would perform in private homes and other unconventional spaces. The status of free jazz became more complex, as many musicians sought to bring in different genres into their works. Free jazz no longer necessarily indicated the rejection of tonal melody, overarching harmonic structure, or metrical divide, as laid out by Coleman, Coltrane, and Taylor. Instead, the free jazz that developed in the 1960s became one of many influences, including pop music and world music.
Paul Tanner, Maurice Gerow, and David Megill have suggested, the freer aspects of jazz, at least, have reduced the freedom acquired in the sixties. Most successful recording artists today construct their works in this way: beginning with a strain with which listeners can relate, following with an entirely free portion, and then returning to the recognizable strain. The pattern may occur several times in a long selection, giving listeners pivotal points to cling to. At this time, listeners accept this – they can recognize the selection while also appreciating the freedom of the player in other portions. Players, meanwhile, are tending toward retaining a key center for the seemingly free parts. It is as if the musician has learned that entire freedom is not an answer to expression, that the player needs boundaries, bases, from which to explore. Tanner, Gerow and Megill name
Miles Davis, Cecil Taylor,
John Klemmer,
Keith Jarrett,
Chick Corea, Pharoah Sanders,
McCoy Tyner,
Alice Coltrane,
Wayne Shorter,
Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, and Sun Ra as musicians who have employed this approach. == Other media ==