Enchanting Improvisation: Landmark Works and Popular Albums of Free Jazz

AmajeloDon Cherry

Don Cherry – Amajelo (“mu” first part)

Don Cherry, hailing from Oklahoma in the United States, worked alongside Ornette Coleman, a seminal figure in free jazz, and took part in key works in the genre’s history such as The Shape of Jazz to Come and Free Jazz.

A trumpeter and cornetist known as a “pocket trumpeter,” Cherry collaborated with many free jazz musicians throughout the 1960s, and from the 1970s onward settled in Sweden, continuing to release a wide range of jazz sounds.

One of Cherry’s signature works, ‘Mu: First Part,’ was released in 1969 on a French jazz label.

Created solely by Cherry—who played not only trumpet but also flute and piano—and jazz drummer Ed Blackwell, his frequent collaborator, the album unfolds like a spiritual dialogue between musicians.

The exchange of phrases and rhythms born from improvisations rooted in primal impulses can be seen as a high-purity crystallization of creativity that transcends the category of experimental music.

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Globe UnityAlexander von Schlippenbach

Alexander von Schlippenbach – Globe Unity

In November 1966, the Globe Unity Orchestra—an ensemble performing free jazz with a large group, formed by Berlin-born jazz pianist and composer Alexander von Schlippenbach, then 28—gave a performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival that shocked the audience.

Schlippenbach, who had also studied contemporary music, interpreted the American-born free jazz movement through contemporary techniques, forging a radically new sound.

The studio album Globe Unity, released the following year in 1967 under Schlippenbach’s name, became a pioneering work in the history of European free jazz.

Taken together with his vigorous subsequent activity, it is fair to say this is an essential listen for anyone wishing to understand the currents of European free jazz.

Amid the improvisation characteristic of free jazz, there is a kind of austere aesthetic that refuses to drown in mood or sentiment—one that conveys a sense of pride as a European, and as a German.

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Space Is the PlaceSun Ra

SUN RA / Space Is The Place

When you see the word “spiritual,” many people might feel a whiff of dubiousness.

But the rich sonic world that spreads from free jazz to spiritual jazz, created by Sun Ra—a legendary musician who called himself born on Saturn and who possessed his own cosmic philosophy—is anything but a sham.

The fact that it’s categorized within jazz feels more like a coincidence; it seems simply to be the result of translating Sun Ra’s extraordinarily free soul into sound.

His cosmic masterpiece Space Is The Place, released in 1972, bears a title that was his personal motto, and the performances by his self-styled “Arkestra” feel like a primal, otherworldly celebration, released from all constraints of musical theory.

From the over-20-minute title track onward, the groove of African rhythms and the darting Moog and organ tones whisk the listener away to a completely different world.

It’s a favorite among the club generation as a sampling source, and with the inclusion of female vocals, it also serves perfectly as an entry point for stepping into Sun Ra’s universe.

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The Magic of Ju-JuArchie Shepp

Archie Shepp – The Magic of Ju-Ju

Born in 1937, Archie Shepp is an indispensable saxophonist in the history of free jazz and a key figure who also appeared in the 1981 documentary film Imagine the Sound: The Pioneers of 1960s Free Jazz.

Beyond free jazz, he has released works in traditional jazz as well as in the realms of Black music such as blues and R&B, maintaining a broad, genre-defying career.

Recorded in 1967 and released the following year, The Magic of Ju-Ju is a work that fully showcases the aggressive and radical spirit of experimentation characteristic of Shepp’s intensely active 1960s in the free jazz world.

Its heavy tenor saxophone sound and percussion that generates primal rhythms influenced by African music create a shamanic atmosphere—perfectly in keeping with the eerie skeleton on the album cover.

If you want to savor the essence of radical 1960s free jazz, this is an experience you should try at least once.

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Titan MoonEvan Parker

Derek Bailey, Evan Parker & Han Bennink – Titan Moon

Released in 1970, the album The Topography of the Lungs is regarded as a highly significant work in the history of European free jazz.

It was the first album released under the name of British saxophonist Evan Parker, and it features the charismatic British improvising guitarist Derek Bailey and the Dutch drummer Han Bennink—truly a meeting of singular talents from the European free jazz scene of the time.

The trio’s improvisations, which unfold across the entire album, are destructive and chaotic, yet the occasional moments of silence seem to provide a sense of ebb and flow.

The sound world, which is markedly different from a conventional band ensemble, can be challenging; it might be difficult to get through unless you’re quite familiar with free jazz.

Since the three musicians are positioned separately in the mix, headphones are recommended when experiencing this album.

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People In SorrowArt Ensemble Of Chicago

Art Ensemble of Chicago – People in Sorrow (Full Album)

When it comes to representative free jazz bands, the Art Ensemble of Chicago—true to its name, hailing from Chicago—surely comes to mind.

Formed primarily by members of the AACM, a non-profit organization founded by African American musicians in Chicago, they made their record debut in 1968.

Among their early work is their contribution to the classic 1969 album Comme à la radio by the avant-garde French musician Brigitte Fontaine.

The album featured here, People In Sorrow, was released in 1969 and recorded while the band members were in Europe.

From its Japanese title, “Kuno no Hitobito” (“People in Sorrow”), you might sense a lofty or highbrow air, but the sound—born from improvisations by the four members at the time—especially in the first half, incorporates many quiet passages and paints a scene far removed from chaos, creating a deeply emotional world.

In the latter half, there are exchanges characteristic of free jazz, yet the thematic melodies carry a plaintive resonance, and the album as a whole has a dramatic structure that might make it surprisingly approachable.

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Alto Improvisation No.1Abe Kaoru

Kaoru Abe – Mort A Credit 1995 CD1 & CD2 (Full Album)

Artists whose names are etched into legend and who are hailed as geniuses or mavericks often lead wild private lives or die young, as if in a rush to live.

Kaoru Abe, who passed away at the young age of 29 and could arguably be called the most famous saxophonist in the history of Japanese free jazz, was truly a figure worthy of being called both a genius and an eccentric talent.

His married life with Izumi Suzuki—an author and actress—was later adapted into a film by the master director Koji Wakamatsu.

Abe’s musical style was reportedly almost entirely self-taught, and unlike conventional, orthodox jazz, it should be called “free jazz” in the most literal sense: something born from a freely roaming soul from the very beginning.

His 1976 solo album “Died a Dog’s Death” (borrowing its title from the work of the heretical twentieth-century French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline) captures a truly soulful performance where destructive literary sensibility and Japanese lyricism surge in alternating waves.

It’s by no means easy listening, but if you’re curious about who Abe was as a person, why not take on the challenge at least once?

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