Search for the New Land
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Search for the New Land is a ground-breaking survey of American jazz between 1969 and 1981, when jazz developed into the diverse and multifarious music it has remained to the present day. Considering in detail the work of the major artists of the period, it encompasses modal jazz, free jazz and fusion in the music of John Coltrane’s and Miles Davis’ sidemen and associates, the post-bop mainstream, the continuing development of the major figures of the 1950s and 1960s, including Cecil Taylor, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra as well as individualists and iconoclasts such as Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Joe McPhee and Carla Bley.
Search for the New Land also examines the rise of jazz communities in New York, Chicago, Detroit, St Louis, Los Angeles and Hartford, Connecticut, where artists took control of their own careers through collectives, self-promotion and community education. It then considers the catalytic effect of the presence of American musicians on the development of distinctive jazz traditions in Europe and the mutually productive interactions with their European peers.
Published: Sep 1, 2026
Series
| Section | Chapter | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | ||
| Search for the New Land | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 1 | ||
| Acknowledgement: The Heritage of John Coltrane | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 2 | ||
| Alkebu-lan: Spirituality and Politics in the 1970s | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 3 | ||
| Bitches Brew: Miles and his Sidemen | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 4 | ||
| Red Clay: The 1970s Mainstream | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 5 | ||
| Money Blues: Gigs, Recording, Grants and Academia | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 6 | ||
| Breezin’: Jazz and the Marketplace | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 7 | ||
| Chi-Congo: Chicago and the AACM Diaspora | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 8 | ||
| Message from the Tribe: Jazz Communities in St Louis, Los Angeles, Detroit and Hartford | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 9 | ||
| Friends and Neighbors: The New York Loft Scene | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 10 | ||
| Dreaming of the Masters | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 11 | ||
| Set Me Free: Individuals and Iconoclasts | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 12 | ||
| Gittin’ to Know Y’All: Americans in Europe | Mark Racz | |
| Chapter 13 | ||
| Old and New Dreams: Revivals and New Directions | Mark Racz | |