Free jazz featured free tempos, atonal melodies, dissonant chords, and chaotic solos.
In the 1960s, jazz entered a stage of experimentation and avant-garde with the emergence of free jazz, a style that broke traditional jazz conventions. Free jazz featured free tempos, atonal melodies, dissonant chords, and chaotic solos. It was a radical and rebellious style, expressing the challenge and defiance of African-American musicians. Innovative musicians in this style included Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Albert Ayler, and Sun Ra. Jazz fusion combined jazz with other genres like rock, funk, soul, and Latin music. Jazz fusion was characterised by using electric instruments, sound effects, complex rhythms, and a more robust and dynamic sound. Pioneering musicians in this style were Miles Davis, Weather Report, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Chick Corea.