Dare new ways - Ornette Coleman

Ornette Coleman's appearance on the Jazz scene in 1959, playing a white plastic horn, and his unconventional, humourous approach to Jazz improvisation caused an outrage in the settled Jazz society.

Ornette Coleman. Portrait: mixed media on artist's board.  

Miles Davis  reaction on Ornette Coleman's music (and personality) was: Hell, just listen to what he writes and how he plays. If you're talking psychologically, the man's all screwed up inside. The famous Bebop drummer Max Roach reacted even more outspoken. During a gig, Roach entered the stage, punched Coleman in the mouth, and later, in the middle of the night, showed up in front of his apartment building, yelling: I know you're up there, motherfucker! Come down here and I'll kick your ass!

Ornette Coleman, mixed media on paper.

If You dare new ways, you're not always welcome on the road. Funny enough in 2009, Ornette Coleman received the Miles Davis Award (by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal).

His 1959 record with the grave-ironic title "Tomorrow Is The Question!" is one of my top 10 jazz albums.

To get an impression: The track "Ramblin" from the album  - with a likewise megalomaniac title - "Change of the Century" (recorded in 1959, released in 1960) you can hear here .

Meet an creative innovator. Dare new ways.