Ed Blackwell

A revolutionary drummer, Ed Blackwell was a pioneer of free jazz, most famously as a member of Ornette Coleman's quartet. His style was unique for its deep melodicism and its incorporation of the 'street beat' rhythms of his native New Orleans and percussive traditions of Africa. Rather than just keeping time, Blackwell created a dancing, conversational pulse that was central to the collective, harmolodic improvisation of Coleman's music. He was also a founding member of the quartet Old and New Dreams.