Ornette Coleman Albums (37)
What The Critics Say
Sound Grammar was recorded in Germany in front of a live audience in October of 2005 with his new quartet -- Greg Cohen (bass), Denardo Coleman (drums and percussion), Tony Falanga (bass), and Ornette (alto, violin, trumpet) -- it's the first "new" product from Coleman in ten years. That said, with the exception of "Song X," the last song on the program, the other five tunes are new, seemingly written just for this band. The use of two bassists here is not only a rhythmic consideration, but a sonorous one. Cohen picks his bass, while Falanga bows his. This heavy bottom and full middle, as it were, leave room for Denardo to interact with his father. While one can make somewhat logical comparisons to Coleman's At the "Golden Circle" in Stockholm recordings on Blue Note from four decades ago with Charles Moffett and David Izenzon, these are only logistical. This time out, Coleman's band is rooted deeply in modal blues -- check the slow yet intense "Sleep Talking." The intensity level is there but it's far from overwhelming, since this band plays together as one. Nothing is wasted, either in the heads of these pieces or in the solos. This band plays together literally as one, no matter what's happening. Listen to the interplay between the basses on "Turnaround," as Coleman finds his unique place in blowing the blues and melding harmolodically with his instantly identifiable lyric sound. As all these sounds blend together, they become, in their order to one another, grammar. And each member finds a unique place in the conversation in this ordered sonic universe. The playfulness in "Matador" is infectious as the entire band walks through a sideways version of "Mexican Hat Dance" along with the sound of the crowd at a bullfight. As the work unfolds, it becomes clear that the struggle of species, blood, and passion is taking place in the ring of death and victory. The work ends back on the theme, with the crowd cheering (one assumes the matador won?). The rhythmic/melodic approach to improvising and timekeeping the bassists take is one of close listening, and carrying Coleman's harmolodic theory to its most beautiful and lyrical extreme. The place the blues inhabit in this working order is a special one, as Coleman is able to engage them at any time, pull them out, speak from them, and turn them inside out with his own linguistic and playfully melodic method of playing. This is no less so when he pulls out his trumpet, as he does on "Jordan," with the hardest-driving rhythmic setting of the disc. This also happens on "Call to Duty," where Coleman once again plays both instruments. The bassists push one another incessantly here -- and Cohen with this rhythmic attack can push any musician to his best performance -- while Denardo steps back and folds into the middle; he actually allows Ornette to slow time down somehow, no matter the pace. The deep blues are expressed in Falanga's solo in "Once Only," as he plays a doleful melodic line and moves off from it in bits and pieces. The violin comes out again in a ten-and-a-half-minute "Song X," which closes the concert. The playing is out and edgy, but never goes to the extremes it once did, in part due to Falanga's ability to create harmolodic counterpoint and pace Coleman's solo on the instrument into a great lyric context. Sound Grammar is one of those records that makes the listener realize just how much Ornette Coleman means to jazz, and how much he is missed as he releases something new only once a decade. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Colors: Live from Leipzig'
Release Date 8/19/1997
Tracks 8
Label Harmolodic/Verve
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What The Critics Say
Ornette Coleman is certainly full of surprises in his 60s, recording a duo album with -- believe it or not -- a pianist. For this project, he chose the German pianist Joachim Kühn, who gratefully claims that it was Ornette's example that originally led him down the road to free jazz, and they recorded eight Coleman compositions live in the opera house of Kühn's hometown, Leipzig. Yet their collaboration is not really a radical departure from Ornette's sound worlds in his acoustic groups or in the electric Prime Time. The two seem to exist on parallel planes, not interacting or reacting rhythmically or harmonically, but carving out their occasionally entwined melodic lines separately. Nor does Ornette change his own alto sax manner; at times, he performs in the same rhetorical fashion as he does with Prime Time, while venturing on the outside far more often and scraping away on the violin or burbling on his trumpet when the odd impulse strikes. The music ranges from the relatively funky "Faxing" -- no doubt a spinoff from Tone Dialing -- to the atonal complexity of "Three Ways to One," and the technically formidable Kühn gets an ovation for his extremely intricate solo passage in the latter. Here is an example of the artist having it both ways, reintroducing an instrument that he became famous for banishing, yet without compromising the artistic conception that led to its banishment in the first place. Thus, Colors is a fascinating addition to the Ornette Coleman catalogue. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is an unusual and very stimulating double CD. On the first CD, Ornette Coleman, on alto and tenor, has a reunion with his original quartet, which is comprised of trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins. The second CD features Coleman's then-current edition of his "double quartet" Prime Time with guitarists Charlie Ellerbe and Bern Nix, electric bassists Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Al MacDowell, and drummers Denardo Coleman and Calvin Weston. Five of the ten songs the quartet plays are also heard in versions by Prime Time, and the latter electric group almost makes the acoustic unit sound conservative in comparison. While the quartet displays subtle use of space and interplay between the musicians, Prime Time comes across as overcrowded and loud, but no less stimulating. Highly recommended to fans of Ornette Coleman. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
'Friends and Neighbors: Live at Prince Street'
Release Date 1/1/1997
Tracks 6
Label BMG
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What The Critics Say
This disc contains one of Ornette Coleman's lesser-known sessions. In addition to his own alto (and occasional trumpet and violin), Coleman is joined by Dewey Redman on tenor, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Ed Blackwell, and (on one of the two versions of "Friends and Neighbors") a variety of friends who sing along as best they can. Actually, the most notable tracks are the two extended pieces, "Long Time No See" and "Tomorrow." The music is typically adventurous, melodic in its own way, yet still pretty futuristic, even if (compared with his other releases) the set as a whole is not all that essential. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This unusual album found Coleman taking time off from his electric free funk group, Prime Time, to record acoustic duets with his longtime associate, bassist Charlie Haden. Coleman switches to tenor and trumpet for the challenging music which includes three of his originals, Haden's "Human Being" and oddly enough, the theme from the TV show Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Haden, who had proved to be the perfect bassist for the original Ornette Coleman Quartet (who else could have filled his shoes in 1959?), is the equal of Coleman on this 1996 reissue CD, inspiring the saxophonist to play near his peak. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The establishing of Ornette Coleman's self-determining Artists House label and his electric double-trio Prime Time coincided with the release of Body Meta, which changed many of the business and musical contours of jazz in the mid- to late '70s. Coleman proved that jazz musicians could determine their own fate and market their music without a major-label contract. He also advanced the orientation of jazz away from swing rhythms and into a deeper blues driven by funk and angular electric guitars inspired by the precepts of Thelonious Monk. A music that turned out to be crazier than most while attempting to be more people-oriented resulted in controversy. It was an indisputable new music amalgam that Coleman could claim as his own, yet which sprung forth into the so-called M-Base music movement of New York City. Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass guitar, Bern Nix and Charlie Ellerbe on electric guitars, drummers Denardo Coleman and Ronald Shannon Jackson comprised the first Prime Time band heard here. They are loud, boisterous, imaginative, unfettered by conventional devices, and wail beyond compare with Coleman within relatively funky, straight beats. "Voice Poetry" sets the tone, a boogaloo funk with an unmistakable kinship to the churning Bo Diddley beat, Coleman's obtuse alto sax between the guitarists' obtuse castings create incessant, passionate, and obsessed music. Where "Home Grown" uses the same wall-rattling sound within repeated lines, there are dense and bulky layers embedded deeply in the thick rhythms. Fans of Coleman will relate more to "Macho Woman," which spurs on a sound similar to his style from years past, as the brief melody gives way to solos. "Fou Amour" is a soulful, off-minor, bitter, and soured ballad, while "European Echoes" is a militaristic waltz -- hardly a traipse through flowers -- with various free sections. As every track is different, Coleman's vision has a diffuse focus, but it's clear that things have changed. Even his personal sound is more pronounced, unleashed from shackles, and more difficult to pin down. In addition, the CD version has updated liner notes written by Coleman that were not included on the original LP. Whether this was a breakthrough recording or an example of cliff diving is solely up to the listener. Either way, this is a stunning example of modernity taken to the extreme, and Coleman gets sole credit for this direction in modern creative music. The first acid jazz? ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
'Sound Museum Three Women'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 14
Label Harmolodic
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What The Critics Say
In 1996, altoist Ornette Coleman simultaneously released a pair of 14-song CDs; 13 of his pieces are heard in different versions on both releases. Joined by a particularly stimulating rhythm section (pianist Geri Allen, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Denardo Coleman), Coleman (who also contributes some trumpet and violin) is in superior form throughout the performances. On "Don't You Know By Now" (the one tune that is only heard on this CD), Lauren Kinhan and Chris Walker take passionate vocals. Otherwise, this is an excellent showcase for Ornette's searching and emotional (yet melodic) improvisations, one of the very few occasions since 1958 when he can be heard using a conventional three-piece rhythm section. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For this project, altoist Ornette Coleman made one of his very few recordings with a pianist. On a vacation from his electrified Prime Time group, the innovative saxophonist (who also plays a bit of trumpet and his percussive violin) teams up with a purely acoustic trio (pianist Geri Allen, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Denardo Coleman) to perform 13 of his originals, plus the traditional "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." Most unusual is that another CD released at the same time (Three Women) has different versions of the exact same Coleman originals (plus one other song). Ornette Coleman shows throughout that he had not mellowed with age, and his concise yet adventurous improvisations (which are full of pure melody) are quite intriguing. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Ornette Coleman's first album in several years and first recording for a major label in quite some time features his 1995 version of Prime Time with two guitars, two bassists, son Denardo Coleman on drums and Badal Roy on tables and percussion. In addition the band includes Dave Bryant, Coleman's first keyboardist in decades (although his part is actually fairly minor). The ensembles are funky and quite dense, Coleman really wails on alto (also playing a bit of violin and trumpet) and, despite the inclusion of one obnoxious rap, this free funk set is well worth picking up by open-minded listeners. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Ornette Coleman's brief tenure at Blue Note was neither as seminal as his Atlantic output nor as brazenly ambitious as his early-'70s work for Columbia and later with Prime Time. Still, the period did produce some quality music, and The Empty Foxhole is one of his most intriguing efforts. Coleman hadn't entered a recording studio in over four years when he returned -- with his ten-year-old son Denardo on drums. Coleman says in the liner notes that Denardo was ready to make a record the previous year, and he's not overestimating; Denardo's percussive coloring and shading never sounds lost or confused, and his stream-of-consciousness flow of ideas keeps up surprisingly well with his father and bassist Charlie Haden. The communal energy keeps flowing throughout the session, and the trio members play off of each other with an easygoing enthusiasm, even on the less memorable themes. Most evocative are the funereal military march of the title track, where Ornette's mournful trumpet plays off of Denardo's deliberate cadence, and "Sound Gravitation," a feature for Coleman's scratchy, percussive violin. Of the alto-driven pieces, "Good Old Days" has the fieriest flow of ideas, but he seems energized by his son's presence, and his playing is fairly exciting throughout. On balance, the music may not be among Coleman's most exceptional efforts, but there's something inspiring about the fact that The Empty Foxhole is as good as it is. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
