<P> The term "M - Base" is used in several ways . In the 1980s, a loose collective of young African - American musicians including Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby emerged in Brooklyn with a new sound and specific ideas about creative expression . Using a term coined by Steve Coleman, they called these ideas "M - Base - concept" (short for "macro-basic array of structured extemporization") and critics have used this term to categorize this scene's music as a jazz style . But Coleman stressed "M - Base" doesn't denote a musical style but a way of thinking about creating music . As famous musicians did in the past, he also refuses the word "jazz" as a label for his music and the music tradition represented by musicians like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, etc . However, the musicians of the M - Base movement, which also included dancers and poets, strived for common creative musical languages, so their early recordings show a lot of similarities reflecting their common ideas, the experiences of working together, and their similar cultural background . To label this kind of music, jazz critics have established the word "M - Base" as a jazz style for lack of a better term, distorting its original meaning . </P> <P> In the year 1991 a significant number of M - Base participants labelled as "M - Base Collective" recorded the CD "Anatomy of a Groove ." Most of them previously contributed to CDs by alto - saxophonist Steve Coleman whose creativity has been a pivotal factor in that movement, although he refused to be called its leader or founder . Coleman and his friend Greg Osby, who plays alto saxophone in a related style, together led the group "Strata Institute" which recorded two CDs (the second with tenor saxophonist Von Freeman as a further leader). Under the name of Osby, a number of CDs with a specific character have been released starting in 1987 which also coined the perception of "M - Base" jazz . Tenor saxophonist and flutist Gary Thomas admittedly didn't take part in the M - Base initiative, but joined them, and there were similarities in his way of playing . He can be heard on recordings of Coleman und Osby and his own CDs are also labelled as "M - Base - style ." All three saxophonists contributed to the CD "Jump World" by singer Cassandra Wilson . </P>

M-base is a musical collective that was started in the 1980s by