I Hear Freedom: The Great Migration, Free Jazz, and Black Power | Cisco Bradley

In the 1960s, a radical new style of free jazz emerged in the industrial landscapes of Cleveland and Detroit. Based on interviews with dozens of musicians, I Hear Freedom tells the story of this musical revolution and its connection to the broader Black experience.

Cisco Bradley demonstrates that figures such as Albert Ayler, Donald Ayler, Charles Tyler, Frank Wright, Bobby Few, Charles Moore, and Faruq Z. Bey drew on the traditions that the Great Migration brought from the South to develop distinct artistic visions, often influenced by their involvement in Black liberation movements. He chronicles the Cleveland and Detroit free jazz scenes and follows musicians to New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and beyond. A revelatory oral history, this book shows how free jazz was shaped by mobility, community, and the struggle for freedom.

Size: 232 X 156mm (softback)

Pages: 496 (30 b/w illustrations)

Publisher: Columbia University Press