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Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman (born 26 February 1960) is an English singer and musician. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as the lead vocalist and keyboardist of
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
group
Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...
. In addition, Coleman has composed orchestral and soundtrack pieces. As Killing Joke's singer, Coleman is known for his raspy baritone voice and intense stage presence (occasionally appearing wearing face makeup). Bill Janovitz, writer for the website
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, described Coleman's stage presence and voice as "almost always full-on in his approach, with a terrifying growl of a voice that is similar to that of
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
's
Lemmy Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...
". In the first part of their career, Coleman also played synth while singing, adding electronic atonal sounds to create a disturbing atmosphere to their music. He still continues to play keyboards and synths in studio recordings.
James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...
picked Coleman as one of his favourite singers. In November 2010, the band received the "Innovator Award" at the 2010 ''
Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
'' Roll of Honour; the award was presented to Killing Joke by admirer and friend
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
, who stated, "I go back a long way with Jaz Coleman and the band. I used to go and see the band, and it was a band that really impressed me." He moved to New Zealand in the 1990s and became a citizen of that country in 2018.The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
">


Early life

Coleman was born in
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, to Ronald A. and Gloria H. (''
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Pandy) Coleman: an English father and an
Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...
mother of half- Bengali descent, both of whom were school teachers. He studied piano and violin under Eric Coleridge, head of music for
Cheltenham College Cheltenham College is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1841 as a Church of England foundation and is known for its outstanding linguis ...
, until the age of 17, and was a member of several cathedral choirs in England. Coleman studied in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
,
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, in 1978, and Cairo Conservatoire in 1979, completing an extensive study of Arabic
quarter tones A quarter tone is a pitch halfway between the usual notes of a chromatic scale or an interval (music), interval about half as wide (orally, or logarithmically) as a semitone, which itself is half a major second, whole tone. Quarter tones divide t ...
at the latter institution. According to his own account, Coleman also studied international banking for three years in Switzerland and is an ordained priest with a church in New Zealand.


Music career


Killing Joke

In 1978, Coleman founded
Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...
with drummer Paul Ferguson in
Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...
, England. The pair then recruited guitarist Geordie Walker and bassist
Martin Glover Martin Glover (born 27 December 1960), better known by his stage name Youth, is a British musician and record producer, best known as a founding member and bassist of the rock band Killing Joke. He is also a member of The Fireman (band), the Fir ...
(aka Youth). The group released their first single in October 1979 and their first eponymous album was released in 1980. Coleman told biographer Jyrki "Spider" Hämäläinen that forming the band felt "it was the destiny". Coleman contributed lead vocals and keyboards to the band's songs, which are categorised as
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
, and the music later inspired the
industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrom ...
and
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
genres.


Solo composition and recordings

Coleman once quit Killing Joke temporarily following a gig in 1982; the day after, he travelled to Iceland and announced his intention to become a classical composer. Ten years of studying and ongoing Killing Joke involvement later, he commenced conducting and worked with some of the world's leading orchestras. Conductor Klaus Tennstedt described him as a "new
Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
". In 1990, in collaboration with Anne Dudley, Coleman released his first purely instrumental album entitled '' Songs from the Victorious City'', which is formally classified as "World Music", but is primarily composed of a mixture of middle eastern folk themes mixed with western pop-oriented themes. The album received media coverage including a report on BBC2's ''Rapido''. In 1995, Coleman released his first of three albums of symphonic rock music: '' Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd'', which peaked at number one in the
Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
Top Classical Crossover Albums chart, and '' Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin'' were both written and produced by Coleman with Peter Scholes conducting the
London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
. In June 2007, Coleman collaborated with over 150 youth musicians in the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, based in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, to perform the entirety of ''Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin'' along with additional orchestrations of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
's music. In 1999, he produced and arranged an album of
Doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide secu ...
material for orchestra, performed by classical musicians including
Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and viola, violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and has since expanded into jazz music, jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and ...
and the
Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...
, called ''Riders on the Storm: The Doors Concerto'' (CD released in 2000). He has worked with the
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the New Zealand Government, per the New Zealand Symphony ...
, who have issued a CD of his ''Symphony No. 1 "Idavoll"'' with the
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra The Auckland Philharmonia (formerly Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall, and it is also the accompanying ensemble for Auckland stage ...
, and as
composer-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...
to the Prague Symphony Orchestra. In 1996, he released ''Pacifica: Ambient Sketches'', recorded with the
New Zealand String Quartet The New Zealand String Quartet (established 1987) is New Zealand's only full-time string quartet. The New Zealand String Quartet are resident artists at the biennial Adam Chamber Music Festival in Nelson, New Zealand, and have been the quartet ...
. In 1999, Coleman and Maori singer Hinewehi Mohi formed Oceania (with
Hirini Melbourne Hirini (Sid) Melbourne (21 July 1949 – 6 January 2003) was a Māori people, Māori composer, singer, university lecturer, poet and author who was notable for his contribution to the development of Māori music and the revival of Māori culture ...
and many others) which recorded the album ''Oceania''. The record went double platinum in New Zealand. The song "Pukaea" appeared in the film ''
Year of the Devil ''Year of the Devil'' () is a 2002 Czech mockumentary film directed by Petr Zelenka. It stars musicians who act as themselves: Czech folk music band Čechomor, musicians and poets Jaromír Nohavica, Karel Plihal and British musician and compos ...
'' (2002). ''Oceania II'' appeared in 2002. In 2001, Coleman was commissioned by the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
London for his first large scale opera entitled ''The Marriage at Cana''. Also commissioned by the Royal Opera House was Coleman's ''Unwanted'', a concerto grosso for violin, viola and string orchestra whose theme portrays the plight of the Romany people of central Europe. This work was in collaboration with Czech photographer Jana Tržilová, whose portraits of the Roma taken within her own country moved the composer with their deep compassion and humanity. On 22 March 2003, Coleman was commissioned by the Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter ( ICAM) to compose a three-part concerto ''Music of the Quantum'', expressing the ideas of the
quantum In physics, a quantum (: quanta) is the minimum amount of any physical entity (physical property) involved in an interaction. The fundamental notion that a property can be "quantized" is referred to as "the hypothesis of quantization". This me ...
and
emergence In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when a complex entity has properties or behaviors that its parts do not have on their own, and emerge only when they interact in a wider whole. Emergence plays a central rol ...
in musical form, which he co-produced with his elder brother,
Piers Coleman Piers Coleman (born 1958) is a British-born theoretical physicist, working in the field of theoretical condensed matter physics. Coleman is professor of physics at Rutgers University in New Jersey and at Royal Holloway, University of London. Edu ...
(born 13 February 1958), who is a condensed matter physicist at
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
. On 22 March, Sir Laurence Gardner's book ''Secrets of the Lost Ark'', which expounds on anti-gravity and
prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins   million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
, was published. Coleman and Gardner publicly exchanged their work (book and scores) at the Occulture Lectures in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
on 20 July 2003, a gesture appropriate to Coleman's interest in themes of renaissance, collaboration, and working in parallels. Also in 2003, Coleman completed a second work with
Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and viola, violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and has since expanded into jazz music, jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and ...
and the Kroke Trio in the role of friend and producer of their album, '' East Meets East'', released through
EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...
. In 2004 and 2005, Coleman arranged the
Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...
album ''
Harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
'' and wrote a further 12 Arias to be recorded with her. He also continues with his work as composer in residence of the
Prague Symphony Orchestra The Prague Symphony Orchestra ( ''FOK'') is a Czech orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra has traditionally been known by the acronym 'FOK', standing for 'Film-Opera-Koncert', reflecting the orchestra's fields of activity as envisioned by its fo ...
. In early 2006 Joseph McManners performed Coleman's ''Daughter of England'' at the Royal Albert Hall with the
Royal Philharmonic The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
to standing ovation. In 2009, Coleman recorded the ''Nirvana Suite'' with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and played summer festivals across Europe with Killing Joke. Coleman travelled from Japan to South India with former bandmate Paul Raven's ashes and participated in
Pradakshina Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path alon ...
. In December, Coleman's ''Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd'' was performed at the Berlin Konzerthaus for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. In 2010, Coleman completed his ''Magna Suscitatio'' for solo violin, chorus and full orchestra, which illustrates the process of transformation and illumination of the human condition "from our current barbaric state". Coleman also began work with the Prague Chamber Orchestra and was in discussion about a series of concerts. Coleman's second symphony, recorded by the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, was due for release with the ''Nirvana Suite''. In 2014, Coleman began the year by conducting the NSO Symphony Orchestra (UAE) for the opening ceremony of the
Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup (Arabic: كأس دبي العالمي) is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and contested at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operate ...
, which was broadcast to 160 countries. Later that year, Coleman recorded with the Moscow State Film Orchestra and performed his Zep Symphony some 30 kilometres outside St. Petersburg at
Gatchina Palace The Great Gatchina Palace () is a palace in Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was built from 1766 to 1781 by Antonio Rinaldi (architect), Antonio Rinaldi for Count Grigori Grigoryevich Orlov, who was a favourite of Catherine the Great, in ...
for the White Night gala with the Minsk Philharmonic. One month later, Coleman recorded ''The Nirvana Dialogues'' with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra for Universal records. Due to the success of this recording, Coleman has entered into a two-year contract as composer-in-residence with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra. Also in 2014, ''Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd'' was performed by the Melbourne Ballet Orchestra on 22 October and 1 November. 2015 saw the release of Tambours du Bronx's album ''Corros'', featuring a collaboration with Coleman on the track "Human Smile". On 28 February 2016, Coleman gave a
spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...
performance in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, titled Going Over to the Dark Side', A light hearted look at the state of world affairs by the Dark Lord". Later in the year, his ''Doors Concerto'' was performed at the White Nights Festival in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia. 2016 also saw the release of the Levee Walkers, a collaboration between Coleman,
Duff McKagan Michael Andrew "Duff" McKagan (born February 5, 1964) is an American musician. He was the bassist of hard rock band Guns N' Roses for twelve years, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. McKagan rejoined the b ...
and
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...
guitarist
Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician known for being a founding member and lead guitarist of Pearl Jam. McCready was also a member of the side project bands Flight to Mars, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season (band), Ma ...
. McKagan stipulated who and what a Levee Walker is: "To become a Levee Walker you must have at least 25 years of musical experience, survived battles with the forces of darkness, and perhaps even kissed death on the cheek. More importantly, there must exist a deep reverence for the music of your comrades, and the commitment they made to this hardest of paths." In September 2016, Coleman was invited by the Étrange festival in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
for a "carte blanche" programme of six films and a spoken word performance.


Other work


Films and soundtracks

In 2002, Coleman starred (as himself) in a Czech film by Petr Zelenka, ''Rok ďábla'' (''
Year of the Devil ''Year of the Devil'' () is a 2002 Czech mockumentary film directed by Petr Zelenka. It stars musicians who act as themselves: Czech folk music band Čechomor, musicians and poets Jaromír Nohavica, Karel Plihal and British musician and compos ...
''). The film was awarded the Crystal Globe at the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (, KVIFF) is an annual film festival held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern Eur ...
. He also co-produced a documentary-style music film with Filmmaker Shaun Pettigrew called "The Death And Resurrection Show", named after a song on Killing Joke's 2003 album. The film was premiered at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
on 19 February 2015.


Production

Together with Martin Williams and Malcolm Welsford, Coleman founded the York Street Studio in New Zealand. The studio was closed after Coleman produced the ninth album of New Zealand band
Shihad Shihad were a Rock music, rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1988. The band consisted of founders Tom Larkin (musician), Tom Larkin (drums, backing vocals, samplers), Phil Knight (lead guitar, synthesiser, backing vocals) and Jon To ...
, '' FVEY'', which was released in the second half of 2014. Coleman produced Shihad's debut album, '' Churn''—also recorded at York Street—but a disagreement with the band occurred after the release of the album. Following a 15-year period in which Coleman and Shihad did not communicate, Coleman made amends with the band members at a London, UK awards ceremony. Shihad's lead singer and guitarist Jon Toogood explained in June 2014:
We'd had a falling out, I just didn't have time for him oleman... I was like, "Fuck that guy". But he was softer—he doesn't drink alcohol anymore. He's still gnarly and idealistic and brutal but minus the alcohol that makes him this focused machine. It was just the perfect meeting of what we wanted to do and having the right guy to do it with.
Prior to the recording of ''FVEY'', Coleman informed the band, "I'm going to work you until you've made a great record" and, after the completion of a two-month recording period, Toogood referred to the band's time with Coleman as a "bootcamp"; however, Toogood further explained that the band "needed someone to crack the whip" and he felt "purged" afterward.


Books

In 2006, Coleman wrote a book about
permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using Systems theory, whole-systems thinking. It applies t ...
, free energy, freedom and freedom-loving individuals. Titled ''Letters from Cythera'', it was released in early 2014 and was described by Coleman as an overview of "how the occult sciences have shaped my philosophical outlook expounding on my preferred system for a personalized renaissance (the supersynthesis)"—Coleman stated that the book was written between 2007 and 2008. When asked to expound upon his "supersynthesis" concept, Coleman explained:
upersynthesis isthe idea that we can stretch ourselves in 12 different directions all at once, and I put myself out as a guinea-pig and put myself through the paces and I’m in the process of sharing my results with people, to show how far I got. The thing about the super-synthesis is you choose one opus magnum, a huge work to do, then you chose 12 other non related projects that you’re meant to take to mastery and so I’ve finished pretty much everything and now is the execution of all of these – some of which I’ve done …
In the wake of the book's publishing, Coleman did a spoken word performance at London's
St Pancras Old Church St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church on Pancras Road, Somers Town, London, Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. Somers Town is an area of the ancient parish and later Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras, London, St ...
on 17 June 2015.


Awards and accolades

In 2001, Coleman recorded the multi-platinum album ''Proměny'' with Czech band
Čechomor Čechomor is a Czech band from Svitavy that performs traditional songs in Rock music, rock arrangements. They have toured throughout Europe, North America, Russia, China, Mongolia, and Australia and were reportedly a favourite band of Czech play ...
, which won three Anděl (Angel) awards. Coleman was made
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
by the French Minister of Culture for his contribution to contemporary music, and was decorated by the French government on 27 September 2010, while Killing Joke were in concert at the Bataclan theatre in Paris. On 24 November 2021, Coleman’s contribution to both contemporary and classical music was recognised by the University of Gloucestershire by awarding him an Honorary Doctorate of Music.


Personal life

Coleman is a supporter of the concept of environmental sustainability and has invested in the creation of two
ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community that aims to become more socially, culturally, economically and/or environmentally sustainable. An ecovillage strives to have the least possible negative impact on the natural environment ...
s in the South Pacific and in
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
. Coleman does not support any particular
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
and is politically non-partisan. When asked about his perspective on the United States in a May 2013 interview, Coleman explained:
It's different from 30 years ago. There's no rebellion left. Everyone is just a passive zombie. Food supply has something to do with it – it's dumbed down everyone to obese, lethargic corpses ... People are worn down ... It's a fragmented society. People have access now to amazing amounts of information, but their attention spans are getting shorter, their focus is gone. Instant gratification. Instant knowledge orgasm! I think that a lot of the great thinkers couldn't achieve what they did through a computer.


References


Further reading

*


External links

*
AudioCulture NZ profileJaz Coleman: Life on the Wild Side. Interview with NZ Herald. 21 April 2012.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Jaz 1960 births Living people TVT Records artists British gothic rock musicians Musicians from Cheltenham English people of Bengali descent Music in Gloucestershire New Zealand musicians Killing Joke members Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres English industrial musicians English composers English heavy metal singers English post-punk musicians English keyboardists English heavy metal keyboardists Symphonic rock musicians Industrial metal musicians