Early on in his career, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman recorded an album entitled The Shape of Jazz To Come. It might have seemed like an expression of youthful arrogance - Coleman was 29 at the time - but actually, the title was prophetic. Coleman is the creator of a concept of music called "harmolodic," a musical form which is equally applicable as a life philosophy. The richness of harmolodics derives from the unique interaction between the players. Breaking out of the prison bars of rigid meters and conventional harmonic or structural expectations, harmolodic musicians improvise equally together in what Coleman calls compositional improvisation, while always keeping deeply in tune with the flow, direction and needs of their fellow players. In this process, harmony becomes melody becomes harmony. Ornette describes it as "removing the caste system from sound." On a broader level, harmolodics equates with the freedom to be as you please, as long as you listen to others and work with them to develop your own individual harmony.

For his essential vision and innovation, Coleman has received many accolades, including the MacArthur "Genius" Award, an induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letter, an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, the American Music Center Letter of Distinction, and the New York State Governor Arts Award.

A metaphysician, philosopher and eternal student, Coleman continues to confound categorization. His harmolodic world continues to expand along with the concepts of an artist beyond boundaries. "Most people think of me only as a saxophonist and as a jazz artist," he once stated, "but I want to be considered as a composer who could cross over all the borders."

In 2007, Coleman received the Pulitzer Prize for his album Sound Grammar.

Information from the artist's site

Musicians

• Ornette Coleman: saxophone

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