During the early '50s while in Los Angeles, Ornette's musical ideas were so controversial that he rarely found public performance possibilities. He did, however, find a core of musicians who took to his musical concepts: trumpeters Don Cherry and Bobby Bradford, drummers Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins, and bassist Charlie Haden. In 1959 with the release of his debut album, Something Else, it was immediately clear that Coleman had ushered in a new era in jazz history. This music, freed from the prevailing conventions of harmony, rhythm, and melody - often called "free jazz", transformed the art form. This concept Coleman called Harmolodic. In the 1960s, based on this theory, Coleman also began writing music for string quartets, woodwind quintetes, and symphonies. In 1966, Denardo Coleman made his debut in music at age 10 playing drums on the recording The Empty Foxhole with his father. Denardo also recorded twice more in the 60s with Ornette - on Ornette At 12 and Crisis.

In the early 1970s, Ornette travelled throughout Morocco and Nigeria playing with the local musicians and interpreting the melodic and rhythmic complexities of their music into his Harmolodic approach. In 1975, seeking the fuller sound of an orchestra for his writing, Coleman constructed a new ensemble. Called Prime Time, this ensemble included the doubling of guitars, drums, and bass. Combining elements of ethnic and danceable sounds, this approach is now identified with a full genre of music and musicians.

In the 80s another birth of surprises occurred including trend setting albums such as Song X with guitarist Pat Metheny and Virgin Beauty featuring Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia. Both records were widely accepted. It was also in the 1980s that Denardo Coleman not only began producing the recordings of his father but also became his manager. It was during this period that the Colemans took control of all of their business affairs. Out of this, Harmolodic, Inc. emerged.

With 1997 comes the launching of the ?Civilization project. It is a multiple performance celebration that displays the depth and breadth of Coleman's genius. ?Civilization at the Lincoln Center Festival 97 in New York City includes the 25th anniversary performance of Skies Of America, to be performed with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Kurt Masur. The '90s have included other large works such as the premiere of Architecture In Motion, Ornette's first Harmolodic ballet, as well as work on the soundtracks for the films Naked Lunch and Philadelphia. And now the dawning of the Harmolodic record label (distributed by PolyGram) for which Ornette has been heavily involved in new recordings. This includes Tone Dialing, Sound Museum, and the newly released Colors. There has been tremendous outpouring of recognition bestowed upon Coleman for his work including numerous honors and celebrations- honorary degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (1989), California Institute of the Arts (1990), Boston Conservatory of Music (1993), an honorary doctorate from The New School For Social Research, and most recently, an induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters (May 1997). He was also named as a recipient of the distinguished 1994 MacArthur Fellowship award. Always true to the spirit of discovery, Ornette Coleman continues to share in new musical horizons as he has yesterday, today, and tomorrow.