Iconic Saxophonist Ornette Coleman Interviewed at AAJ

"Some people think of music as being on some higher level," Ornette Coleman says by phone from his apartment in New York City. "But basically it's the human being that receives the pleasure from sound. Not from the argument over what it is."

There are a lot of questions about Ornette Coleman and the music he makes. Talking with him, trying to parse these questions, can be a learning experience in many ways. Simply put, Coleman isn't like most other people. He isn't even like most other jazz musicians. He has his own distinct philosophy, of music and of life—one being just an echo of the other—and hearing him explain it can be both exhilarating and confusing.

AAJ Contributor Warren Allen spoke with Coleman and, as ever, the legendary free jazz progenitor's responses are enigmatic, enlightening and profound.

Check out Ornette Coleman: Music is a Verb at AAJ today!