Ornette Coleman's career encompassed the glory years of jazz and the American avant-garde. Born in segregated Fort Worth, Texas, during the Great Depression, the African American composer and musician was the zeitgeist incarnate. Steeped in the Texas blues tradition, Ornette and jazz grew up together, as the brassy blare of big band swing gave way to bebop, a faster music for a faster, post-war world. At the dawn of the Space Age and New York's 1960s counterculture, his music gave voice to the moment. Lauded by some, maligned by many, he forged a breakaway art sometimes called `the new thing' or `free jazz'. Featuring previously unpublished photographs of Ornette and his contemporaries, this is the compelling story of one of America's most adventurous musicians and the sound of a changing world.

About the Author
Born in New Jersey and residing in Egypt, Maria Golia managed one of America's premier progressive music venues, the Caravan of Dreams Performing Arts Center, in Fort Worth, Ornette's hometown. Her previous books include Cairo: City of Sand (2004), Photography and Egypt (2009), and Meteorite: Nature and Culture (2015), all published by Reaktion.


Book Information
ISBN 9781789142235
Author Maria Golia
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Reaktion Books
Publisher Reaktion Books