Despite his musical eccentricity, Ornette was not a particularly extravagant entertainer or person. He often expressed his views about in music in article, and though they can be quite convoluted and confusing, he was not especially boisterous (unlike some of his contemporaries—Miles Davis and Charles Mingus to name a few).
Over the course of his career, Ornette's physical appearance has gone through stages. At times, he had a long beard and long, wild hair. Other times, he presented himself in a more clean-cut way.
His clothing was always standard of jazz musicians at time. In the 50s and 60s he wore a conventional suit, but as the 70s approached, musicians (especially Miles Davis) began to dress less formally. When performing with Prime Time, Ornette wore colorful silk outfits.
In Ornette's early days, audiences and critics were very interested in his white Grafton alto sax. In later years, he switched to a more conventional gold Selmer horn.
“...personally he is a rather quiet, soft-spoken, and polite man.” - George Hoefer
“...what sticks out is the image of Coleman, luminous in one of his custom-made silk suits, greeting fans after a 1990 show by his electric Prime Time at the Riverboat Hallelujah...” - Steve Dollar
