An Introduction to Free Jazz: The Freest, Blackest, Most Experimental and Radical Jazz.

In 1959, three fundamental albums by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman pushed jazz to its limits, paving the way for free jazz. This new musical style emphasized black- ness, reclaimed African roots, exploited ancient polyrhythms, and simultaneously connected with the artistic avant-garde of its time, generat- ing a never-heard-before type of improvisation. It was a radical jazz, both musically and political- ly. The musicians who embraced it were explor- ers of new sounds, which could be harsh and violent. It was the sound of freedom.