I've never been an Ornette Coleman fan. His groundbreaking Free Jazz album, recorded way back in 1960, always sounded to me like an eight piece band falling down the stairs.
I tried again when he recorded, many years later, with Pat Metheny. Song X was something I could listen to, even though I had no idea what they were up to. But enjoy? Sorry.
Fortunately for Ornette, my opinion doesn't matter much. At age 77 he has become the first musician to receive the Pulitzer Prize for a jazz recording, 2006's Sound Grammer. (Wynton Marsalis received a Pulitzer in 1997 for Blood on the Fields, which is considered a classical piece. Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk received posthumous awards.)
It's nice to see a music award going to someone who creates challenging music rather than catchy music. It doesn't restore my faith in the essential justice of the world, but at least it keeps Justin Timberlake off my radar screen for a while.
[TJH]
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