Ornette Coleman

Ornette Coleman (born March 19, 1930) was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, and one of the most notable figures in jazz history.

Early Career

Coleman moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950s. He worked at various jobs, including as an elevator operator, while pursuing his musical career.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - 1950s - Elevator

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Even from the beginning of Coleman's career, his music and playing were, in many ways rather unorthodox: Coleman was more concerned with relative pitch than with "proper" equal temperament; his sense of harmony and chord progression are not as rigid as most swing music or bebop performers', and were easily changed and often implied. Many Los Angeles jazz musicians regarded Coleman's playing as out-of-tune, and he sometimes had difficulty finding like-minded musicians with whom to perform. Pianist Paul Bley was an early supporter.

Related Topics:
Relative pitch - Equal temperament - Harmony - Chord progression - Swing music - Bebop - Los Angeles - Paul Bley

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In 1958 Coleman led his first recording session for Something Else! The Music of Ornette Coleman. The session also featured trumpeter Don Cherry, drummer Billy Higgins, bassist Don Payne and Walter Norris on piano. Norris was sympathetic to Coleman's ideas, but has been criticised for not quite grasping them (though, in fairness, it must be noted that few grasped Coleman's ideas this early on), and further, a piano tied Coleman to equal temperament; consequently, this album is often regarded as something of a false start for Coleman.

Related Topics:
1958 - Trumpet - Don Cherry - Drummer - Billy Higgins - Don Payne - Walter Norris - Piano - Equal temperament

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