KID STUFF

Related Content

• Paul Simon & Wynton Marsalis
  April 11, 2012
• Cassandra Wilson
  September 14, 2011
• Up-and-Coming Players from 2011, the Year of the Tenor
  December 21, 2011
• 'SF Jazz Collective Presents the Music of Stevie Wonder'
  March 23, 2011
• BANJO MAN
  March 2, 2011

More About

• Ornette Coleman
• Jazz at Lincoln Center
• Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
• Sleeping and Sleep Disorders
• Music Festivals

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

He's pushing 80, but it's a youthful lilt that leaps from Ornette Coleman's saxophone. Forget the egghead innovations of his harmolodic theory for a sec, and concentrate instead on the unfettered emotion his alto consistently channels. From shrieks to sobs, the beloved iconoclast boasts a sound that sends shivers through an audience. Just as much as it conjures "old and wise" (his solos are marvelously refined these days), it resounds of "young and bright" (they still jitter, pop, and fizz). The interplay of his current two-bass 'n' traps team is a blast, of course—that merry-go-round of rhythm and melody is what jazz is all about. But those sitting in the Rose Theater for (finally!) his Jazz at Lincoln Center debut will likely be swooning to the hues of his horn—from "Sleep Talking" to "Song X," they give each piece a playful presence. No wonder those Bonnaroo and Meltdown kids have dug him lately. His tunes may boast drama galore, but he plays each one like a ditty.
Sat., Sept. 26, 8 p.m., 2009