Ornette Coleman At 80: A Brief Roundup

Ornette Coleman is 80 today. We must celebrate the fact that he's still with us, making life-changing music. Hooray for Ornette!

Here's a sampling of what NPR has done recently about Ornette Coleman:

—Ashley Kahn's profile at age 76

—Farai Chideya's interview, also a few years back

—Last year, Lars and I came up with this primer to his recordings. The tone was less than serious; the music a different story.

—Reportage from when Coleman won his Pulitzer

—Kevin Whitehead reviews the reissue of Song X

—Coleman's Change Of The Century is discussed for NPR's Basic Jazz Record Library

—Talking about the song "Only Once"