That was in 1963, at a time when the classical-music establishment was still in thrall to the postwar professoriate of Austro-German composers and their foreign epigones who believed that the future of music lay not with traditional harmony but with Schoenberg-style serialism.

WSJ: Francis Poulenc | More Than Almost Great | Sightings by Terry Teachout

At first, Coleman struggled to find his own sound on the alto saxophone, but eventually developed his own formulas of composition, breaking down traditional definitions of harmony and melody.

NPR: Coleman's 'Grammar' Proves Prize-Worthy

The soundtrack, with original music by Malaysian composer Adam Mansor, combines urban dance music with traditional Malay folk music -- in harmony with the storyline about a hip-hop band in Kuala Lumpur who head east into the Malay heartland, on the run from loan sharks because they can't repay the money they borrowed for their equipment.

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