Ornette Coleman

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

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

Coleman was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he began performing R&B and bebop initially on tenor saxophone. He later switched to alto, which has remained his primary instrument. Coleman's timbre is perhaps one of the most easily recognized in jazz: his keening, crying sound draws heavily on blues music. This unique tone comes from his plastic saxophone (Coleman claimed that it sounded drier, without the pinging sound of metal) and specialized mouthpiece, which gave him complete control of his sound.