Ornette Coleman
Photo: Geert Vandepoele, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Saxophonists · 1930–2015

Ornette Coleman

American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer (1930–2015)

Born
9 March 1930
Fort Worth
Died
11 June 2015
Manhattan
Country
United States
Record labels
Blue Note, Atlantic Records, ESP-Disk, ABC Records, Antilles
Discography
50 albums

Biography

Ornette Coleman was a jazz musician who played saxophone, trumpet, alto saxophone and violin. Ornette Coleman was born on 9 March 1930 in Fort Worth and died on 11 June 2015 in Manhattan. The music is usually filed under jazz. Record labels: Blue Note, Atlantic Records, ESP-Disk and ABC Records. The discography here lists 50 albums, from “Something Else!!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman” (1958) to “Celebrate Ornette” (2016). Honours include Guggenheim Fellowship (1967), MacArthur Fellows Program (1994) and Praemium Imperiale (2001).

Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He is best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation. His pioneering works often abandoned the harmony-based composition, tonality, chord changes, and fixed rhythm found in earlier jazz idioms; instead, Coleman emphasized an experimental approach to improvisation rooted in ensemble playing and blues phrasing. Thom Jurek of AllMusic called him "one of the most beloved and polarizing figures in jazz history", noting that while "now celebrated as a fearless innovator and a genius, he was initially regarded by peers and critics as rebellious, disruptive, and even a fraud." Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Coleman taught himself to play the saxophone when he was a teenager.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Something Else!!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman 1958 · Contemporary The Shape of Jazz to Come 1959 · Atlantic Tomorrow Is the Question! The New Music of Ornette Coleman! 1959 · Contemporary Change of the Century 1960 · Atlantic Ornette on Tenor 1962 · Atlantic Chappaqua Suite 1966 · CBS The Empty Foxhole 1966 · Blue Note An Evening With Ornette Coleman 1967 · Live · International Polydor Production The Music of Ornette Coleman 1967 · Live · RCA Victor New York Is Now! 1968 · Blue Note Ornette at 12 1969 · Live · impulse! Friends and Neighbors: Ornette Live at Prince Street 1970 · Live · Flying Dutchman The Art of the Improvisers 1970 · Atlantic Love Call 1971 · Blue Note Twins 1971 · Atlantic Crisis 1972 · Live Science Fiction 1972 · Columbia Skies of America 1972 · Columbia To Whom Who Keeps a Record 1975 · Warner–Pioneer Corporation Dancing in Your Head 1977 · Horizon Records & Tapes Paris Concert 1977 · Live · Trio
The Unprecedented Music of Ornette Coleman 1977 · Live
Body Meta 1978 · Artists House Soapsuds, Soapsuds 1979 · Artists House Who’s Crazy? 1 – La Clef des champs 1 1979 Who’s Crazy? 2 – La Clef des champs 2 1979 Broken Shadows 1982 · Columbia Of Human Feelings 1982 · Antilles Opening the Caravan of Dreams 1985 · Live
Prime Design / Time Design 1986 · Live · Caravan of Dreams Productions
In All Languages 1987 · Caravan of Dreams Productions Virgin Beauty 1988 · Portrait
Broken Shadows 1990 · Live
Jazzbühne Berlin ’88 1990 · Live
Town Hall 1962 1990 · Live · Magic Music Quartet 1971 1991 · Live · Black Bird
The Paris Concert ’65 1991
Naked Lunch 1992 · Milan
The Belgrade Concert 1995 · Live
Tone Dialing 1995 · Harmolodic Sound Museum: Hidden Man 1996 · Harmolodic Sound Museum: Three Women 1996 · Harmolodic Colors: Live From Leipzig 1997 · Live
Love Revolution: Complete 1968 Italian Tour 2005 · Live
Sound Grammar 2006 · Live · Sound Grammar
Jazz Jamboree ’93 2007 · Live
The Lenox Jazz School Concert 2009 · Live · FreeFactory
The Paris Concerts 1965–1966 2009 · Live
Reunion 1990 2010 · Live
Celebrate Ornette 2016 · Live · Song X Records

Also plays on

Albums where Ornette Coleman is credited as a sideman

Standards written by Ornette Coleman

TitleKeyFormGroove
Turnaround C major A · 12 Medium swing

Analysed solos by Ornette Coleman

  • Chronologyalto saxophone · 236 BPM · · 1959-05-22
  • Congenialityalto saxophone · 233 BPM · · 1959-05-22
  • Peacealto saxophone · 126 BPM · · 1959-05-22
  • Bird Foodalto saxophone · 256 BPM · · 8-9.10.1959
  • Ramblin'alto saxophone · 201 BPM · · 8-9.10.1959

Awards

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Ornette Coleman play?

Ornette Coleman is known for playing saxophone, trumpet, alto saxophone and violin.

When and where was Ornette Coleman born?

Ornette Coleman was born 9 March 1930 in Fort Worth.

What are Ornette Coleman's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Something Else!!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman (1958), The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959), Tomorrow Is the Question! The New Music of Ornette Coleman! (1959), Change of the Century (1960) and Ornette on Tenor (1962).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.