Ornette Colemans passing on June 12 at the age of 85 reminded us what a rare bird he truly was. He innovated a dissonant, harmolodic-based version of bop that he coined "free jazz," only to distance himself from the term for the rest of his life. He inspired controversy, intellectual debates and rebukes. He seemed distant from the pop marketplace, yet regularly collaborated with rock musicians in the second half of his career, including fellow iconoclast Lou Reed and guitarist Pat Metheny. Seth Colter Walls Rhapsody playlist does a good job of surveying Colemans memorable career.
