 One of the most important (and controversial) innovators of the jazz avant-garde, Ornette Coleman gained both loyal followers and lifelong detractors when he seemed to burst on the scene in 1959 fully formed. Although he and Don Cherry in his original quartet played opening and closing melodies together, their solos dispensed altogether with chordal improvisation and harmony, instead playing quite freely off of the mood of the theme. Coleman's tone (which purposely wavered in pitch) rattled some listeners and his solos were emotional and followed their own logic. During 1959-61 Ornette Coleman recorded a series of classic and somewhat startling quartet albums for Atlantic (all of which have been reissued on a six-CD set by Rhino). With Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Scott LaFaro or Jimmy Garrison on bass and Billy Higgins or Ed Blackwell on drums, Coleman created music that would greatly affect most of the other advanced improvisers of the 1960s including John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy and the free jazz players of the mid-60s. In 1962 Ornette Coleman, feeling that he was worth much more money than the clubs and his label were paying him, surprised the jazz world by retiring for a period. He took up trumpet and violin (playing the latter as if it were a drum!) and in 1965 he recorded a few brilliant sets on all his instruments with a particularly strong trio featuring bassist David Izenzon and drummer Charles Moffett. In addition Coleman wrote some atonal and wholly-composed classical works for chamber groups and had a few reunions with Don Cherry. In the early '70s Ornette Coleman entered the second half of his career. He formed a "double quartet" comprised of two guitars, two electric bassists, two drummers and his own alto. The group, called "Prime Time," featured dense, noisy and often-witty ensembles in which all of the musicians are supposed to have an equal role but the leader's alto always ended up standing out. He now calls his music "Harmolodics" (symbolizing the equal importance of harmony, melody and rhythm) although "free funk" (combining together loose funk rhythms and free improvising) probably fits better; among his sidemen in Prime Time have been drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma in addition to his son Denardo. Ornette Coleman, who currently records for Verve, has remained true to his highly original vision throughout his career and, although not technically a virtuoso and still considered controversial, is an obvious giant of jazz.
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