Quote:Can you define free jazz and free improv?
The two seem intrinsically intertwined but maybe I don't understand the question?
There isn’t a single “correct” answer but I’ll do my best. Free Jazz and Free Improvisation are both very different than what had been considered Jazz up until the late 1950s. The big break occurred when artists like John Coltrane abandoned traditionally scored music completely, while simultaneously leaving behind traditional concepts of tempo and key signatures. The musicians just played what they felt, and musicians in a band or ensemble decided what they would play based entirely on what they were hearing from their fellow musicians.
And for differentiating between Free Jazz and Free Improvisation, I see the difference largely n terms of historical context.
BLUES —-> JAZZ —-> FREE JAZZ —-> FREE IMPROVISATION —-> EXPERIMENTAL—-> NOISE
Free jazz came about in the 50s. It was a radical break from Jazz, but was still played on traditional instruments, in traditional ensembles, making mostly traditional sounds. Free improvisation, beginning in the 70s, went another step, sometimes using non-traditional instruments, using traditional instruments in new ways, using novel ways to ‘score’ or plan what to play, generally becoming looser and looser, until it blended into the realm of experimental music.
There are other ways to look at it too, which is why I started this thread, but this more or less sums up how I see things.
