Free Jazz and black nationalism: A rhetoric of musical style

A central element in black nationalist rhetoric was its development of the identity and self‐image of the black American community. It sought to define this community by stressing its unity with Third World peoples, creating a world majority out of a national minority. Paralleling this discursive strategy, the Free Jazz Movement exhorted its listeners to have a greater awareness of, and pride in, its cultural roots. This essay examines the use of Third World musical resources by the Free Jazz Movement in its effort to provide a means of redefining black American cultural identity. It is argued that by providing such stylistic contrasts, pure music can have suasory effects.