ORNETTE COLEMAN

Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman was a black African American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer from the 1950s to the 2010s. In the 1960s, he was one of the founders of free jazz, a term he invented for his album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation. His "Broadway Blues" has become a standard and has been cited as an important work in free jazz. AllMusic called him "one of the most beloved and polarizing figures in jazz history," noting that while "now celebrated as a fearless innovator and a genius, he was initially regarded by peers and critics as rebellious, disruptive, and even a fraud". He passed away in 2015 at the age of 85.