In praise of ... Ornette Coleman

He's taken jazz where it has never gone before - playing with pipers, punks and divas. As Ornette Coleman arrives in Britain, Patti Smith, Moby and others salute a great. By John LewisBorn in Texas 79 years ago, saxophonist Ornette Coleman came to the jazz world's attention in the late 1950s with a brand of free improvisation that thrilled and shocked audiences in equal measure. At early gigs, he was physically attacked by disgruntled punters. Miles Davis called him "unlistenable", and Philip L...

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