What is the difference between acid-jazz & free-jazz

[Carlo Gesualdo]

I'm still a Noob in Jazz, so I wander what to think of acid-jazz and free-jazz, both to me seem like the same thing all does I could be wrong, Free-jazz seem to me like Cecil Taylor I love that free-form playing, than what is acid-jazz here my one million dollars question, is it a false style coined by someone to make it hip like Grunge was the mother child of David Geffen, there never was such thing as Grunge, it was just a blend to make ''dirty garage rock'' more hip?

Free-jazz is free for all jazz improvisation to my knowledge
like Borbetamagus?

All does, this is mere speculation, I was not born and raised on jazz, so I cannot tell if Acid jazz exist or not. But Free-jazz most exist.

Perhaps acid-jazz is bands like Ruins of Japan, noise-rock-ish proggy and  free-form, than again Acid-Jazz seem link to Free-Jazz, if it exist.

Can  you show me example of so call Acid-Jazz and Free-Jazz, because I'm lost, don't know what to think of this at all.

Explain me the nuance between both please?

[aukhawk]

A lot of difference.  Acid jazz is rock-inflected jazz - I would have said originating in the late 1960s in West Coast America, however Wikipedia has it as a more funk-oriented form originating in London in the '80s.  Typically (but not essentially) featuring electric instruments (bass, piano) rather than the acoustic counterparts usually found in jazz.  I would cite Miles Davis' Bitches Brew as an example - but given Wikipedia maybe I'm wrong about that.

Free jazz is as you suppose - totally free improvisation, either solo or collectively.  In solo form it is barely any different from free improvisation under the 'classical' music heading.  An early and important voice in free jazz was Ornette Coleman, plenty of his stuff on YouTube.  (You might find him playing with Don Cherry - who is the stepfather of latter-day popular musician Neneh Cherry.)  Coltrane was also heading in this direction when he died too young.
There is also a lot of free 'blowing' over a more structured backing - Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp etc.

Solo work - I suppose Keith Jarrett's solo concerts could be cited as examples, although he is at the 'easy listening' end of the spectrum and his concerts became hugely popular.  British musicians Stan Tracey, Keith Tippett (both piano) and Mike Osborne (sax) were notable solo exponents in the 70s and are each a much tougher listen than Jarrett.  Worthy of note that Stan Tracey later reverted to playing more traditional bop-style jazz (he sounds a bit like a British version of Thelonious Monk) and was happy to be quoted as saying "phew, thank goodness that's over, I never really understood what was going on" or words to that effect - with reference to his 'free' period.

An interesting record which combines collective totally free improvisation - big band - with driving electric bass and heavy rock inflection, is Mike Westbrook's Metropolis - highly recommended, whatever the genre.

[Rinaldo]

Acid jazz has more to do with the late eighties club scene (the acid part comes from acid house) than jazz itself. The only connection is DJs incorporating jazz records into their sets. I don't think you can compare these two genres, quite different ballparks.

[Andante]

I have been following this thread with interest as I was a jazz player in the mid 50s to mid 60s in the UK and never came across the terms it is only since joining music forums on the www that I discovered their existence but one thing still puzzles me and that is (free jazz) just what is free about it? is it played without a meter or key and if so how do the musicians know what is going to happen next? to make sense you need rules to follow and if this is the case it is not really much different from normal, every day jazz, OK I have probably got it wrong so don't be too hard on me. 

[Carlo Gesualdo]

Ah my friend free from convention, free form improvisation , that are tight calculated, thanks folks for contibution, I'm now hook on Jazz free form, if we can says this, Japanese extreme  free form jazz, Borbetamagus etc?

Ornette Coleman is a great one too, real darn good.