Overview
Amidst a politically tumultuous world, a new style of jazz broke away from the constraints of mainstream modern jazz. Known as free jazz, this new style formed the core of the avant-garde movement in jazz. In this section, we will examine some influential avant-garde and free jazz musicians, and the artistic and cultural significance of their music. In addition, we'll consider the music of Miles Davis' mid-60s quintet, along with the significant individual contributions of the quintet’s pianist, Herbie Hancock.
Objectives
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to do the following:
- Identify musicians who contributed to avant-garde and free jazz styles
- Appreciate Ornette Coleman’s unique use of pitch bending
- Appreciate the Miles Davis mid-60s quintet as another innovative jazz group led by Davis
- Recognize the accomplishments of Herbie Hancock during that time
- Identify musicians who collaborated with Herbie Hancock
Lonely Woman
One of the most expressive pieces from Ornette Coleman's 1959 recording session with his quartet is his composition Lonely Woman ♫. It prominently features Coleman's style of pitch bendingA gradual change in pitch from one note to another..
For listeners accustomed to the piano's harmonic foundation in a combo setting, there is a starkness to the quartet's sound. In this piece, the effect is intensified by the plaintive melody played by sax and trumpet, starting in unison and then finishing in harmony.
The tune is an AABA song form (0:18-1:46), but there is considerable vagueness for the listener trying to discern the beat, despite the metric activity of drums and bass. It's almost easier to hear measures in "waves" of broad pulses. In such a manner, we might hear each A section as 12 bars, with the B section measuring 7 bars. And we hear considerable metric independence between the front line instruments and the rhythm section players, which leaves such formal measurement open to broad interpretation. Coleman is the soloist through the middle section. Interestingly, despite all of its strikingly new qualities, the piece is firmly grounded in the key of D minor.
Listen now to Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman ♫.
Herbie Hancock majored in electrical engineering in college so when synthesisers, computers and technology entered the musical world he welcomed the changes. He recognizes the downside that can come with technology though, such as lack of privacy due to social media.
