In Memoriam
Ornette Coleman
March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015 · aged 85
Free Jazz · Avant-Garde Jazz
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman was a fearless avant-garde visionary who completely tore up the rulebook of traditional jazz. Born in Texas in 1930, the saxophonist and composer frustrated early bandmates because he refused to adhere to conventional chord progressions. In 1959, he released the prophetic album 'The Shape of Jazz to Come,' introducing the concept of 'free jazz.' Playing a distinctive white plastic alto saxophone, Coleman argued that harmony, melody, and rhythm should all possess equal, improvisational freedom. His radical approach was initially met with fierce hostility from jazz purists—Miles Davis famously questioned his sanity—but it ultimately revolutionized the genre, deeply influencing artists from John Coltrane to Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. He later coined the term 'harmolodics' to describe his unique musical philosophy. A recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, Coleman passed away from cardiac arrest on June 11, 2015, at the age of 85. He was a true sonic pioneer who liberated jazz from its structural confines.
Milestones
The Shape of Jazz to Come, Free Jazz, Science Fiction
Also remembered in 2015
- B.B. King (1925–2015)
- Ben E. King (1938–2015)
- Lemmy Kilmister (1945–2015)
- Scott Weiland (1967–2015)