Context

The research project Silent form: embodied structure in transitional jazz performance practice was designed with the aim of reconsidering the extent to which the music of early free jazz pioneers relied on the song-form music of bebop. The name Silent Form is derived from Frank Tirro’s 1967 article The Silent Theme Tradition in Jazz, which describes the practice of writing new melodies on existing chord structures – Charlie Parker’s Ornithology on the standard How High The Moon is a good example of this. ‘Silent Form’ describes a practice that goes one step beyond this by retaining regular chorus lengths, but with a more open approach to harmony. 

The Silent Form project builds on the work of scholars including Thomas Charry, Robert Hodson and Robert Sabin & Fumi Tomita by examining all of the recordings associated with Coleman’s first three albums on the Atlantic label. The transcriptions made by Mike Fletcher as part of the Silent Form research project are hosted on this website.