Ornette Coleman endured a lot to get to the level of respect that he would come to attain. In the beginning, both jazz purists, "progressive" bebop musicians, and non-musicians alike did not care for free jazz in a big way. Coleman faced a lot of scrutiny from the jazz community and was not allowed to play at some venues or was very poorly received. However, he kept on going and ignored the critics, which eventually led him not only to success and respect, but also changing the face of jazz as we knew it. He was also a music theorist, developing what he called "harmolodics." Joe Zawinul described harmolodics as "nobody solos, everybody solos," which is a concept that I have yet to wrap my head around. For this and all his other contributions to the world of music, we stay thank you, Ornette, and rest in peace.

Favorite Ornette Coleman tunes or albums, go!