Ornette Coleman (born March 19, 1930) is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Coleman's timbre is easily recognized: his keening, crying sound draws heavily on blues music. His album Sound Grammar received the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for music.

Ornette Coleman is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, and one of the most notable figures in jazz history. Coleman was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he began performing R&B and bebop initially on tenor saxophone. He later switched to alto, which has remained his primary instrument. Coleman’s timbre is perhaps one of the most easily recognized in jazz: his keening, crying sound draws heavily on blues