Originally Posted by atsonicpark

Kaoru Abe is god.

Originally Posted by ann ashtray

I looked at what Hendrix would do, and while I was never, and never will be able to play even remotely like that I came to the conclusion that he was perhaps one of the freest guitar players, ever. Of course he was taking full advantage of that pentatonic scale, but he was also going completely wild with it and making up his own weird chords and noodling with amp feedback/etc...which were anything but conventional at that time (matter of fact, most bands tried desperately to allow as little feedback as possible...now it's a staple in what a lot of bands do).

...

Hendrix was playing along with Albert King + Muddy Waters records before he ever stepped foot on a wah-wah pedal or played around with amp feedback. Thankfully, he embraced both....just look at what he did with all along the watchtower..even Dylan said Jimi's version was the definitive version of the song.

Originally Posted by The Earl Of Slander

Exactly! 'Guitar people' who say that someone like Vai, or some other technically obsessed shredder, is the successor to Hendrix are totally missing the point. Hendrix wasn't a genius because he could shred really well, but because he would just fly off and follow his own 'free' ideas in the context of rock songs, and do it beautifully. Guitarists in the free jazz cannon, like say one of my all time favourites, Sonny Sharrock (or SY for that matter), capture a lot more of what I like about Hendrix than any 'shredder' ever will...

Originally Posted by hevusa

So post some stuff that is top shelf free jazz already!

Originally Posted by Glice

I really struggled to think of any songs. You won't appreciate this but it's one of the few instances of song within free jazz. I don't want to get all youtube comments about this, but if you don't appreciate forms outside of your own experience, why not shut the fuck up, eh? I don't think anyone in this thread is anything like 'elitist', and there's only really two people who've been in this thread who've got a particularly strong sense of music theory (and I'm sure those who aren't necessarily strong on it aren't that bothered).

Something I was going to ask of !"£$% - I think part of the question might be Free Jazz's legacy - I think you could certainly make a case for, say, bits of DDN being heavily influenced by free jazz; from a more esoteric point of view, it's probably worth thinking about how people like Otomo Yoshihide, Nmperign or NNCK (3 names from a hat) incorporate elements from free jazz. There's a fine line between melodic extemporisation and free jazz though, so I find it a bit of an iffy one.

I wouldn't say this was 'purely' free jazz, for instance - but there are definitely elements of it later on in the piece.

Originally Posted by themawt71

here is nels cline (gtr) playing with gregg bendian (dr) doing john coltrane's interstellar space. real real good top shelf free jazz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxI_VBXIciw

Originally Posted by hat and bread

I would advise people who think free jazz is aimless horn honking made by self important charlatans (which it is at its worst!) to check out some of the groups who straddle the border between the free and straight worlds (by straight I mean music that retains elements of traditional jazz such as heads, songs, solos, occasional standards etc. rather than any sense of "seriousness"). The ICP Orchestra, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Vandermark 5, NRG Ensemble etc. are good places to start. If you can get into that then you might want to come back to the freely improvised stuff later (which I know isn't what this thread was intended to be about, but I think that is what a lot of people take free jazz to mean).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyRjG...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=perVF...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUy11...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy2PtUh8Djo

Best (perhaps) concert I've ever been to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeNtD...eature=related
That's my head obnoxiously swinging back and forth in front of Han's snare drum!

Originally Posted by Toilet & Bowels

I'm at work and don't have time to google for links, i'm sure you'll be able to find some yourself though

try these:

Alan Silva's Celestrial Communication Orchestra - Luna Surface
Sonny Sharrock - Black Woman (good place to start for rock fans maybe)
John Coltrane - Ascension, The Olatunji Concert, Interstellar Space
Archie Shepp - Blase
Pharoah Sanders - Karma, Black Unity
The Art Ensemble of Chicago - Les Stances A Sophie, People in Sorrow
Luther Thomas Human Arts Ensemble - Funky Donkey
Joe McPhee - Nation Time
Sun Ra - Atlantis, Space Is The Place

Originally Posted by hat and bread

Best (perhaps) concert I've ever been to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeNtD...eature=related
That's my head obnoxiously swinging back and forth in front of Han's snare drum!

Originally Posted by Toilet & Bowels

Sonny Sharrock - Black Woman
John Coltrane - Ascension
Pharoah Sanders - Karma