Drummer Ed Blackwell, a native of Uptown New Orleans, pioneered free jazz with saxophonist Ornette Coleman and trumpeter Don Cherry. With music so complex, tempestuous and textural, Blackwell served as a rhythmic beacon: “I’m a lighthouse so everyone can find their way back.”

Edward Blackwell

Born: October 29, 1929, New Orleans, Louisiana

Died: October 7, 1992, Hartford...