Ornette Coleman’s 1961 album Free Jazz gave its name to a style of free-form jazz.
The album was recorded by a double quartet, with two quartets performing simultaneously. Coleman and Eric Dolphy played alto saxophone and bass clarinet, respectively, while Freddie Hubbard and Don Cherry played trumpet. The rhythm sections included Scott LaFaro, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, and Ed Blackwell.
Free Jazz used collective improvisation rather than a conventional song structure with regular chord changes. Its long title track lasts more than 37 minutes and is presented in stereo, with one quartet assigned to each channel.
The album was controversial because listeners disagreed about whether its dense, unconstrained sound represented liberation or disorder. It nevertheless became a defining document of avant-garde jazz. The term “free jazz” had broader roots, but Coleman’s album made the phrase especially influential as a musical label.