| The Free Spirits | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York, United States |
| Genres | Jazz-rock |
| Years active | 1965–1968 |
| Labels | Sunbeam Records, ABC Music |
| Past members | |
| Larry Coryell Jim Pepper Bob Moses Chris Hills Columbus "Chip" Baker |
|
The Free Spirits were an American band who have been credited for being the first ever jazz-rock group.[1] The band also incorporated elements of psychedelic rock, pop,[2] and garage rock.[3]
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The band formed in New York as a jazz outfit and each member of the band (excluding rhythm guitar player Columbus "Chip" Baker) had a background in the music. According to the band's drummer, Bob Moses, it was the band's lead guitar player, Larry Coryell, who helped turn the group on to more rock-oriented music.[1]
The band played several times in a New York club called the Scene, but made very little money from the shows, getting paid only ten dollars as a group per night. The band also got to perform shows with such acts as Mitch Ryder and The Rascals.[4]
By 1967, Coryell left the band to play with Gary Burton. Moses also left the band after he felt he "knew that it wasn't going to be the same without Coryell".[5] Members Peter and Baker formed a new group called Everything Is Everything and released a self-titled album.[6] Moses later recorded with jazz artists such as Jack DeJohnette, Steve Swallow, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, and Coryell.[7]