RYM's Top 20 Free Jazz Albums Of All-Time

In a world of extreme musical genius where structures do not exist and a whirlwind of cacophony rules the day, free jazz is the law. The law to which there are no laws. Total musical anarchy if you will. Nothing is predictable and all sounds are welcome. You are only limited by your own desire to set limitations. If total freedom came in the form of sound, it would be free jazz. Of course it isn’t for everyone. Some people demand simplicity and songs you can hum along with or dance to. Trying to do either of those things here will ensure you of your long self assumed insanity. Welcome my friends to free jazz… fuck a seatbelt and a helmet, you’ve got to go all in…

This is not my list, this is how the people are rateyourmusic.com have ranked the top 20 free jazz albums of all-time. Check them out if you are courageous enough to let go of all that you hold to be true about music…

1		John Coltrane Ascension(1966)
2		John Coltrane Meditations(1966)
3		Ornette Coleman Free Jazz(1961)
4		Albert Ayler Spiritual Unity(1965)
5		Pharoah Sanders Black Unity(1972)
6		John Coltrane Sun Ship(1971)
7		Peter Brötzmann Machine Gun(1968)
8		Don Cherry Eternal Rhythm(1969)
9		William Parker & In Order to Survive The Peach Orchard(1998)
10		The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra(1968)
11		Evan Parker, Cecil Taylor, Barry Guy & Tony Oxley Nailed (CT: The Quartet) (2000)
12		Noah Howard The Black Ark(1973)
13		John Coltrane Interstellar Space(1974)
14		London Jazz Composers’ Orchestra Ode(1972)
15		Don Cherry “mu” First Part(1969)
16		Andrew Hill Compulsion!!!!!(1966)
17		Alexander von Schlippenbach Pakistani Pomade(1973)
18		Pharoah Sanders Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)(1970)
19		Ornette Coleman Science Fiction(1972)
20		Cecil Taylor Unit Structures(1966)