When we were kids my oldest brother often made up games with changing rules. At one point he declared that Ornette Coleman's album Something Else was music for new sneakers. That declaration stuck in my heart and every time I see the album cover or hear its music my feet itch for the squeak of new sneakers. I used to think that I wanted to make pots that were classical in nature but with a contemporary twist. However the longer I work the more I understand that what I make are Jazz-like pots full of syncopation, playing with the rules of harmony, rhythm and symmetry. When I am at my best creating work for the wood kiln, full of momentum and ideas, I feel like I am wearing my new sneakers and following my own path with the heart of someone like Ornette Coleman.
Ornette Coleman died on Thursday June 11 at the age of 85. I remember walking by his loft on Prince Street often and seeing him going in and out his door a few times. He is quoted as having said "I don't want them to follow me. I want them to follow themselves, but to be with me."
Ornette Coleman died on Thursday June 11 at the age of 85. I remember walking by his loft on Prince Street often and seeing him going in and out his door a few times. He is quoted as having said "I don't want them to follow me. I want them to follow themselves, but to be with me."
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