thumb|right|Ornette Coleman, Moers Festival, 2011 Free jazz se javlja krajem 50-tih godina XX. stoljeća i razbija tradicionalni oblik improvizacije. Pokret se temeljio na potpuno slobodnoj improvizaciji. Glazbenici koji sviraju free jazz stilom odbacuju zadanu melodiju, harmoniju, oblik i ne koriste zadanu građu iz tonaliteta. Zvuk je često agresivan, glasan i disonantan.
Prve snimke snimaju grupe Inituition i Digression pod vodstvom Lenny Tristanoa. Probijanje stila počinje sredinom pedesetih godina snimkama Ornettea Colemana (Something Else i Tomorrow is the question) i prva dva albuma Cecila Taylora (Jazz advance i Looking ahead). Stil postiže najveću slavu kad Ornette Coleman dolazi u New York i izdaje albume "The shape of jazz to come" i "Change of century".
Dva najznačajnija predstavnika su: Ornette Coleman i John Coltrane. Drugi glazbenici koji su djelovali su: Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Jackie McLean, Cecil Taylor, The Jimmy Giuffe Trio, Chico Hamilton.
Od europskih predstavnika ovog pravca treba izdvojiti saksofoniste: Petera Brötzmanna, Evana Parkera, trombonista Connyja Bauera, gitarista Dereka Baileya, pijanista Freda Van Hovea i bubnjara Hana Benninka. Treba izdvojiti i one koji su svoje djelovanje započeli iza željezne zavjese poput: Tomasza Stanka, Zbigniewa Seiferta, te Vjačeslava Ganelina.
Odabrana diskografija 1960. – 1972.
Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity (1965) Art Ensemble of Chicago - A Jackson in Your House (1969) Anthony Braxton - Town Hall 1972 Peter Brötzmann - Machine Gun (1968) Derek Bailey, Barry Guy, Paul Rutherford - Iskra 1903 (1972) John Coltrane - Ascension (1965) Ornette Coleman - Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (1961) Don Cherry - Mu (1&2) (1969) Jimmy Giuffre – Free Fall (1963) Gunter Hampel: Heartplants (1964) Tony Oxley: 4 Compositions for Sextett (1970) Michel Portal: Alors (1970) Manfred Schoof: Voices (1966) Alexander von Schlippenbach: Globe Unity Archie Shepp : Mama Too Tight Alan Silva & The Celestrial Communications Orchestra - Seasons Spontaneous Music Ensemble : Oliv (1969) Tomasz Stańko - Music for K (1970) John Surman - The Trio Cecil Taylor- Conquistador (1966) Synopsis - Auf der Elbe schwimmt ein rosa Krokodil Attila Zoller - The Horizon Beyond Dodatna literatura
Articles from Jazz & Pop Magazine. Reprint of the 1970 edition, New York: World Publishing Co.
Such, David Glen (1993). Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians: Performing "Out There". Iowa City: University Of Iowa Press. (cloth) (pbk.). Szwed, John F. (2000). Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz. New York: Hyperion. . Andre Asriel: Jazz - Aspekte und Analysen. Berlin 1985 (4. Aufl.) Philippe Carles, Jean-Louis Comolli: Free Jazz, Black Power. Wolke, Hofheim 1980 (1971, dt. Übers. 1974. Neuauflage 1980) Todd S. Jenkins: Free Jazz and Free Improvisation. An Encyclopedia. Westport (CT), London: Greenwood Press 2004; (Bd. 1, A-J), 0-313-33314-9 (Bd. 2, K-Z) Ekkehard Jost: Europas Jazz:1960-80. Frankfurt am Main 1987 Bert Noglik: Improvisierte Musik in der Folge des Free Jazz: Kontinuum - Beliebigkeit - Stilpluralismus. In: Darmstädter Jazzforum 1989, S. 14–22
Vanjske poveznice "Where Did Our Revolution Go? Free Jazz Turns Fifty" by Ted Gioia, (Jazz.com). The Real Godfathers of Punk by Billy Bob Hargus (July 1996). Free Jazz: The Jazz Revolution of the '60s by Robert Levin (June 2006). "A new approach to Jazz"
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