Artist artifact

Jazz

Ornette Coleman

Alto saxophonist who proposed harmolodic free jazz—melody and improvisation freed from fixed chord changes.

Biography

Alto saxophonist who proposed harmolodic free jazz—melody and improvisation freed from fixed chord changes.

Influence

Split jazz into before/after camps; later harmolodic ideas seeded harmolodic funk and downtown improv scenes.

Historical context

Alto saxophonist who proposed harmolodic free jazz—melody and improvisation freed from fixed chord changes. Split jazz into before/after camps; later harmolodic ideas seeded harmolodic funk and downtown improv scenes. The Shape of Jazz to Come was not marketing irony—it was a thesis title that stuck because it was accurate.

Associated instruments

  • Alto Saxophone
  • Trumpet
  • Violin

Specimen note

The Shape of Jazz to Come was not marketing irony—it was a thesis title that stuck because it was accurate.