Edward Joseph Blackwell was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with saxophonist Ornette Coleman. Blackwell first came to national attention as a member of Coleman's quartet around 1960, when he took over for Billy Higgins during a residency at the Five Spot Café in Manhattan. Blackwell became a pioneering free jazz drummer, fusing New Orleans and African rhythms with bebop. Blackwell later toured and recorded extensively with fellow Coleman veterans Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Dewey Redman, both individually and as the quartet Old and New Dreams.