Free Jazz & Avant-Garde
Free jazz is an experimental subgenre of jazz that emerged in the late 1950s, employing irregular tempos, atonal chords and fast, abrasive improvisation. The term 'Free Jazz' was coined by Ornette Coleman for his 1961 album of the same name. The style developed from musicians who felt themselves limited by the conventions of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz. As the 1960s progressed free jazz morphed into the more politicised 'Fire Music' of John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler. The term is often used interchangeably with 'avant-garde jazz' and 'free improvisation', the latter being the preferred term by European musicians.
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Further Reading: Free Jazz & Avant-Garde
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Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings - Mary Halvorson & Ambrose Akinmusire
12th Jun 2026
Two of the most pioneering improvisers of avant-garde jazz unite for the first time, releasing an album that builds on their shared approach to experimental improvisation.
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Judith Berkson - Thee They Thy
10th Apr 2026
Experimental, free and yet refined, the vocalist puts her own spin on the jazz trio and embraces the world of the avant-garde.
Popular Artists & Groups: Free Jazz & Avant-Garde
- Akinmusire, Ambrose
- Ali, Rashied
- Binker and Moses
- Bley, Carla
- Braxton, Anthony
- Carter, Ron
- Cherry, Don
- Cleaver, Gérald
- Cline, Nels
- Coleman, Ornette
- Coltrane, John
- Davis, Richard
- Dolphy, Eric
- Garrison, Jimmy
- Guy, Barry
- Haslam, George
- Hemingway, Gerry
- Ibrahim, Abdullah
- Koglmann, Franz
- Léandre, Joëlle
- Lee, Peggy
- Lytton, Paul
- Maneri, Mat
- Parker, Evan
- Ra, Sun
- Rava, Enrico
- Riley, Howard
- Shepp, Archie
- Shipp, Matthew
- Swallow, Steve
- Takase, Aki
- Waldron, Mal
Recent Best Sellers: Free Jazz & Avant-Garde
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Special offer. Out To Lunch
Eric Dolphy
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Jazzwise, 100 Albums That Shook the World
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Penguin Guide to Jazz, Crowned
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Presto Music, Classic Jazz Recording
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The New Yorker, Top 100 Jazz Albums
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Jazz 100, Top 100 Jazz Albums, Top 100 (Pre-1980)
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1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, Jazz Recommendation
CD: Original price $12.00 Reduced $9.60Download from $8.25 -
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Special offer. Paramount Quartet
Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone, tarogato), Julian Lage (guitar), Asante Santi Debriano (double bass), Will Calhoun (drum)
CD: Original price $18.75 Reduced $17.25Download from $6.75 -
Special offer. Dream Archives
Craig Taborn (piano), Tomeka Reid (cello), Ches Smith (drum)
CD: Original price $18.75 Reduced $17.25Download from $8.25 -
Special offer. Unity
Larry Young
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Penguin Guide to Jazz, Crowned
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1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, Jazz Recommendation
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