New York Is Now!: The New Wave of Free Jazz

C'mon folks. I'll admit that Phil Freeman is definitely opinionated about what he likes and doesn't like. What music/film/art critic worth reading isn't? I enjoy reading Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Crouch for their biased and passionate takes on jazz. I came across this book at a local indie record store last month , snatched it up due to the scarcity of writing on this "genre" of music and have been turned onto lots and lots of great music I otherwise might never hear of. I've long been a fan of Ornette, Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, etc. but the passion that Freeman brings to his subject fueled my desire to dig deeper into William Parker, Matthew Shipp, David Ware and company, and have not been disappointed. I'm curious what punk and metal bands he would recommend that go well with the energizing, spiritually-infused music he writes about. It's been a number of years since this book came out. I hope he still gets to the Vision Festival and listens to and lives the music. Thank you Phil for your passion.

Ok... Is it so unreal that an author writes in a biased fashion to fit their specific agenda? Is that very uncommon? Seriously folks, get over it. Those complaining on this website about Freeman's approach with this book are the very subject he is so critical of. Maybe he goes to the extreme and may come off viscous, but when he's speaking for a scene that has as small of a voice as it does, he has too. I certainly don't agree with everything he says, but he brings up interesting perspectives and new ways of thinking. If your not so into all the artist profiles he offers, the book is worth it to at least check out of the library for the first two chapters where he offers a thesis as well as a short (yet thorough) history of the avant-garde. I really hope the reviews on this page don't discourage anyone because the book is worth investigating for yourself.

All these negative reviews... 1. These reviews are apparently from the very same "Ken Burns" jazz fans that Freeman mentions in this very book. The Marsalis Cult members who beleive jazz ain't jazz unless it's played by a handsome young black man in a suit...or a large breasted white female vocalist on the cover of magazine. 2. Who says an author has to be unbiased?!?!? I see that "point" being made in these negative reviews; that Freeman is biased in his opinions...o.k.?...and your point is...? So the guy is a huge fan of the New York/Vision Festival scene. Great! Give it some of the recognition it deserves! These are Freeman's opinions, just as you obviously think you have the "right" opinion based on the negative reviews you've posted here...so why can't Freeman have his own opinions about the music, the artists, the press, etc.? It's a great eye-opening book....that is to anyone who's willing to open their mind and explore other generes. If not, keep listenting to the dead guys, and don't bother.

Just got my hands on this. I see a lot of people were very critical of this book for no concrete reason. Freeman is going to be around for a while, so critic critics better get used to his stuff. I'm early into it, but I thik it's pretty good.

A great book if you want to learn about the current free jazz scene. Written with a great sense of humor and over the top bombast. Info about performers and records that I've heard of, and the book turned me on to artists that I wasnt familiar with before. And oh my, Mr. Freeman certainly seems to rankle a few readers (see review below), but its his biting commentary, which seems to be written to incite people, that makes this book such an entertaining read. A needed lightness and loosening up for a genre of music that is too often relegated to University lecture halls and a nodding coterie of hipsters.