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Music

In Praise of Ornette Coleman: Melvins/Mr. Bungle Bassist Remembers the Jazz Godhead

The icon passes on at 85.

The late, great Lou Reed called this one of his greatest moments, downtown NYC avant-garde overlord John Zorn skronked his head off on a record comprised of his compositions, he collaborated with both the Queen of Noise Yoko Ono and Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead (what?!), and in his final public appearance last year at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, such luminaries as ex-Sonic Youth'er Thurston Moore, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, punk goddess Patti Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Reed's wife/musical partner Laurie Anderson all bowed at his holier than thou altar.

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Yes, we are waxing poetic about the revolutionary greatness and across-the-board influence of jazz icon Ornette Coleman who, at 85, ascended to the heavens earlier today in New York, the place where he made his indelible mark. Like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker, you can find Ornette perched on jazz's throne, an alto saxophonist who bopped, swung and fire-breathed his way into the annals of American jazz. Shit, the guy birthed the "free jazz" style on his mind-blowing record of the same name (1961's Free Jazz) and '59's The Shape of Jazz To Come, two monumental recordings that did, in fact, live up to their titles—literally. In recent years, Coleman won a Pulitzer Prize for music (in 2007, for Sound Grammar) and was notorious for welcoming musicians into his home and imparting his wisdom about life and music.

Coleman's trailblazing impact has had a profound effect on one such shredder: Melvins/Mr. Bungle/Fantômas/Zorn bassist Trevor Dunn. When he's not holding down the upright bass low end for King Buzzo and Dale Crover in Melvins offshoot Melvins Lite, Dunn can be found leading PROOFreaders, a quartet celebrating the tunes of his hero Coleman. On this day of mourning a legend, we asked Dunn, via email, to muster up a few words about the man who's been such an influence on his own musical path. Here's the highly personal testimonial we got back. -Brad Cohan

The vastness of Ornette's influence is undisputed. Here is one small story:

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Upon hearing of the maestro's passing I immediately dug through some old files and came across photocopies I'd made in the '80s of various interviews and articles on the subject of Ornette and his concept of harmolodics. To a hungry, curious music student this concept was like a fireworks stand on the 3rd of July. It was dangerous and explosive and full of things that nobody/everyone wanted to touch.

If memory serves me correctly, I was attracted to Ornette's indefinable idea of harmolodics long before I heard any of his music. This was mystery and the occult. This was the spark of magic that, at that time, all music represented to me, but here were the codes and hieroglyphics in jazz publications! I could learn a transcription of a Bird melody and on the next page read Mr. Coleman's own words. In 1983, two years after I picked up the bass, Ornette, in a July issue of Downbeat wrote: "In my musical concept, not only the sensation of tone to the nerves is released, but the very reason for the use of tone, which is the logic of ideas put into a single or collective unison (the word "unison" refers to the sound of one's own voice). For those who are interested in a way or the way of seeking their own unison order, here is a discussion of…harmolodics".

I highlighted that quote back when I was an impressionable teenager, along with this one: "Harmolodic composing on the guitar is to sound what rhymes are to time." I had no idea what to do with this information and for that reason I kept searching. Ornette led me down too many paths to note here, and I feel that he continues to do so with every one of his melodies, every unpredictable turn of phrasing and every unique form. I can say this about his music as much as I can about his spoken & written word. In a broader sense, if one is so inclined, there is much more than music to be challenged and upheld here as well. We are talking about a general philosophy that promotes individuality, freedom of expression, resistance of convention and perseverance against obstacles.

I never had the honor of meeting the man, but I would like to use this opportunity to whole-heartedly thank him for keeping the fire alive, for keeping me curious and confused for all the right reasons. To this day his music makes me giddy and inspired, and I find that beauty rare. Thank you, Ornette Coleman, for guiding me towards my own unison order. As it should be.