Library Concept
Harmolodics
Ornette Coleman's theory of harmony, melody, and rhythm holding equal, simultaneous position, developed through the 1970s-80s.
Developed by Ornette Coleman through the late 1970s and 1980s and elaborated with his electric group Prime Time, harmolodics treats harmony, melody, speed, rhythm, and phrasing as holding equal position rather than being organized around a fixed tonal center — freeing harmonic movement from the tension-and-resolution logic of European tonality. Associated with avant-garde and free jazz, the approach appears across recordings including Dancing in Your Head (1976), Tone Dialing (1995), and Sound Museum (1996).