Part of Music City Mondays.
Although the free jazz movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s was much maligned in some jazz circles, its pioneers — brilliant talents like Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and John Coltrane — are today acknowledged as central to the evolution of jazz as America’s most innovative art form. FIRE MUSIC showcases the architects of a movement whose radical brand of improvisation pushed harmonic and rhythmic boundaries, and produced landmark albums like Coleman’s Free Jazz: A Collective Inspiration and Coltrane’s Ascension. A rich trove of archival footage conjures the 1960s jazz scene — along with incisive reflections by critics, musicians, and a number of the movement’s key players.
“Crammed with exhilarating sounds, moving reminiscences and stimulating arguments that [free jazz] is not just music, but vital music… Incredibly well-curated archival footage and contemporary interviews that allow the viewer to briefly commune with some beautiful souls, including [Ornette] Coleman, Sam Rivers, John Coltrane, Rashied Ali, Don Cherry, Carla Bley.” —Glenn Kenny, New York Times “Should be on any serious music lover’s must-see list. FIRE MUSIC provides a concise, thoughtful account of the musical form which first blossomed in the late 1950s, likening it in historical terms to such similar artistic movements as the Abstract Expressionists in painting and the Beats in literature.” —Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
