The original "free jazz" movement came to public attention in the wake of Ornette Coleman's work in the late 50's and early 60's. Since then, the challenges to convention presented by many free musicians have led some to question whether the music can even still be called "jazz".
Well, I don't care what it's called, but I like to listen to it, and most free musicians cite many jazz influences, so I think it is best understood in the jazz context. Besides, the various varieties of free music constitute the bulk of WNUR's "jazz" programming, and it's our jazzweb, so there... :-)
Want to be the "editor" of the "free" jazz page? send me email at jazzweb@wnur.nwu.edu