“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Likewise, “chaos” is in the ear of the listener.
The problem with generalities is that there will inevitably be examples to debunk them. Not only are good examples of free jazz, in fact, improvisation, they are the ultimate expression of improvisation since they do away with the constraints of traditional form and harmony. Isn’t freedom in self expression supposed to be one of the main tenets of jazz? Please notice I said “ultimate” and not “best”. What is best is too personal and limited by the listener’s own sensibilities, sense of inquisitiveness and willingness to be challenged by art. Our personal limitations in those regards don’t apply to anyone but ourselves. In good examples of free jazz even if the traditional ideas of form and harmony are done away with, there is still interaction between musicians, development of ideas, tension/release, etc. and many other things that characterize jazz improvisation. Moreover, and especially for listeners who are tuned in to social issues and change, the relevance of free jazz in that context is huge and definitely worth learning about.
One of the most important recordings that pointed the way:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVOYDgXAn1KLppLy-ZWM9DfEFPsX2u6MM
The problem with generalities is that there will inevitably be examples to debunk them. Not only are good examples of free jazz, in fact, improvisation, they are the ultimate expression of improvisation since they do away with the constraints of traditional form and harmony. Isn’t freedom in self expression supposed to be one of the main tenets of jazz? Please notice I said “ultimate” and not “best”. What is best is too personal and limited by the listener’s own sensibilities, sense of inquisitiveness and willingness to be challenged by art. Our personal limitations in those regards don’t apply to anyone but ourselves. In good examples of free jazz even if the traditional ideas of form and harmony are done away with, there is still interaction between musicians, development of ideas, tension/release, etc. and many other things that characterize jazz improvisation. Moreover, and especially for listeners who are tuned in to social issues and change, the relevance of free jazz in that context is huge and definitely worth learning about.
One of the most important recordings that pointed the way:
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVOYDgXAn1KLppLy-ZWM9DfEFPsX2u6MM