It’s Homegrown Music Month, and every day, we’re featuring a different artist or act with North Texas ties. Listen to hear the day’s artist on KXT 91.7 FM and check back tomorrow to see who we shout out next.
Ornette Coleman
From: Fort Worth
Sounds like: Slipping the bonds of traditional jazz in an excursion to the outer edges of the galaxy
Goes good with: Charlie Haden, Ronald Shannon Jackson, John Coltrane
Origin story: Coleman escaped the extreme poverty and segregation of Fort Worth for the bright lights and possibilities of post-war Los Angeles. It was there, beginning in the late 1950s, Coleman turned the genre of jazz inside out with his “harmolodics” approach.
Quotable: “I don’t know how long I’ll live, but I’d rather die to live than live to die.” – Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2010
Fun fact: Rather than play with a saxophone made of metal, Coleman used a Grafton sax, which was made of plastic.
Why we picked him: Free jazz pioneer, part of Fort Worth cohort that rewired the genre
Where to hear: Coleman’s catalog is available on most digital music services
