free jazz

noun

: free-form jazz marked especially by an abandonment of preset chord progression and a lack of melodic pattern

Examples of free jazz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The band’s new release, Getting Killed, stages an intense and unpredictable melee between punk and free jazz. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 Sep. 2025 Most of the acts have, at one point or another, played at Constellation — like Bill Callahan, the singer-songwriter with avant-garde bona fides, and Irreversible Entanglements, the free jazz collective. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025 Blending ecstatic free jazz, Mediterranean influences, and techno beats, the pulsing score, performed live, was written by Shechter and his longtime collaborator Yaron Engler. Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 3 Sep. 2025 The result is a jarring, eccentric, and unfailingly rich suite of music that ranges from sawing violins and percussive water droplets to free jazz and ambient droning. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for free jazz

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of free jazz was in 1960

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Free jazz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20jazz. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on free jazz

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!