Ornette Coleman
| Ornette Coleman | |
|---|---|
|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman |
| Born |
March 9, 1930 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 11, 2015 (aged 85) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Avant-garde jazz, free jazz, jazz-fusion, free funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, violin, trumpet |
| Years active | 1958–2015 |
| Labels | Atlantic, Blue Note |
| Associated acts | Ed Blackwell, Paul Bley, Don Cherry, Greg Cohen, Denardo Coleman, Jack DeJohnette, Eric Dolphy, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Scott LaFaro, Jackie McLean, Pat Metheny, Jamaaladeen Tacuma |
| Website | ornettecoleman.com |
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, a term he invented with the name of a 1961 album. His "Broadway Blues" has become a standard and has been cited as a key work in the free jazz movement. He was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1994. His album Sound Grammar received the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for music.
Coleman was born in 1930 in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was also raised. He attended I.M. Terrell High School, where he participated in band until he was dismissed for improvising during "The Washington Post." He began performing R&B and bebop initially on tenor saxophone, and started a band, the Jam Jivers, with some fellow students including Prince Lasha and Charles Moffett. Seeking a way to work his way out of his home town, he took a job in 1949 with a Silas Green from New Orleans traveling show and then with touring rhythm and blues shows. After a show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he was assaulted and his saxophone was destroyed.
He switched to alto saxophone, which remained his primary instrument, first playing it in New Orleans after the Baton Rouge incident. He then joined the band of Pee Wee Crayton and travelled with them to Los Angeles. He worked at various jobs, including as an elevator operator, while continuing to pursue his musical career.
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