Final answer:
Free jazz developed as a reaction against major tonality, allowing for increased musical freedom, improvisation, and complexity in harmony and rhythm, distancing itself from the earlier jazz styles and classical music influences.
Step-by-step explanation:
Free jazz was developed as a reaction to C) Major Tonality. This avant-garde genre emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, during a time when black musicians were exploring new dimensions in music that went beyond the conventional harmony and structure of earlier jazz styles. Free jazz artists broke away from the fixed chord changes and predictable rhythm patterns, allowing for more freedom in terms of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Their music often included unpredictable improvisations, dissonances, and complex rhythmic structures which were a stark departure from the major tonality and forms of previous jazz and classical music. This innovative style reflects the highs and lows of life in African American enclaves like New Orleans and Harlem, where earlier blues and traditional jazz had rooted.