Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines elements of avant-garde art music and composition with elements of traditional jazz. Avant-jazz overlaps with free jazz, but differs in that free jazz is generally performed with fewer, or no predetermined structure or composition.

Notable avant-jazz musicians

Andrew Hill
Sam Rivers
Ornette Coleman
Don Cherry
Ed Blackwell
Charlie Haden
John Coltrane (later period)
Eric Dolphy
Dave Holland
Medeski, Martin, & Wood
Evan Parker
Sun Ra
Pharoah Sanders
Archie Shepp
Joe McPhee
John Zorn
Cecil Taylor
Don Pullen
George Adams
Albert Ayler
Don Ayler

See also

• Free jazz

Jazz | Jazz genres

Acid jazz - Asian American jazz - Avant-garde jazz - Bebop - Dixieland - Calypso jazz - Chamber jazz - Cool jazz - Creative jazz - Free jazz - Gypsy jazz - Hard bop

Jazz blues - Jazz fusion - Jazz rap - Latin jazz - Mini-jazz - Modal jazz - M-Base - Nu jazz - Smooth jazz - Soul jazz - Swing - Trad jazz - West coast jazz

Other topics

Jazz standard - Jazz royalty