"The Shape of Jazz to Come" – Ornette Coleman
From You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians by Peter Martin & Adam Maness
March 9, 2026 · 50 min · Season 14 · Episode 7
About this episode
The episode explores Ornette Coleman's controversial album 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' and its impact on jazz music.
Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) may be the most controversial album in jazz history, and one of the most important. In 1959, a broke musician from Fort Worth, Texas arrived in New York City with a plastic saxophone and a band that didn't play by the rules. And EVERYONE had an opinion about it. Jazz legends hated it. Miles Davis said Ornette was "all screwed up inside." Max Roach punched him in the mouth. Dizzy Gillespie said Ornette's music wasn't even jazz. Meanwhile, Leonard Berstein and John Coltrane celebrated him. So what exactly is The Shape of Jazz to Come, and why was it so radical? Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness break down every track, from "Lonely Woman" to "Chronology". They dig into harmolodics, free jazz, and how Ornette shaped everyone from Miles Davis (who eventually came around) to the '80s burnout crew, including Wynton Marsalis, who personally recommended this record to Peter. Dig into The Shape of Jazz to Come with us, and learn why this soft spoken saxophonist inspired both criticism and awe. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi…
People in this episode
Hosts: Peter Martin, Adam Maness
Topics covered
- Ornette Coleman
- free jazz
- The Shape of Jazz to Come
- jazz history
- harmolodics
- music criticism
Keywords
- Ornette Coleman
- The Shape of Jazz to Come
- free jazz
- jazz criticism
- Miles Davis
- harmolodics
- jazz history
Sponsors
Open Studio
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Shape of Jazz to Come
Places: Fort Worth, Texas, New York City
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