Free Jazz

June officially became Jazz Month this year when I rediscovered an old collection of 100+ tracks, made available by the E-Jazz Newsweekly Sampler during the first half of 2010 – just right for a "picture in time" jazz session. Other than the Jaco Pastorius performance, recorded in 1986, the tunes collected here are all releases from 2009. (A creature of its time, the weekly Sampler is no longer being distributed, although its organizer Bill King does have a Soundcloud presence.)

This special session runs close to 2.5 hours, and although the title Free Jazz could refer to the promotional nature of these tracks, it also describes one of the many styles of music offered here, which run from free thru’ standards to newer ballads featuring primarily piano, guitar and sax talent -- something for every taste, from high-energy creative playing to reworkings of Joni Mitchell, from blazing artistry to a tender love song.