As jazz's first extended, continuous free improvisation LP, Free Jazz practically defies superlatives in its historical importance. Ornette Coleman's music had already been tagged 'free,' but this album took the term to a whole new level.Aside from a predetermined order of featured soloists and several brief transition signals cued by Coleman, the entire piece was created spontaneously, right. May 18, 2013 The Ornette Coleman Double Quartet 'Free Jazz' Free Jazz 1961 Alto Saxophone - Ornette Coleman Bass - Charlie Haden, Scott La Faro Bass Clarinet - Eric Dolphy Drums - Billy Higgins, Ed. Ornette Coleman, the lightning rod. The most polarizing figure in the history of jazz. The alto saxophonist who outwitted segregation to hit the scene in 1959 and turn the music world on its head. Bursting through bebop and inventing harmolodics, a sound flowing with the unpredictable rhythms of being.
Pulitzer Prize Winner and NEA Jazz Master Ornette Coleman left an incredible recorded legacy, many of them genre-changing masterpieces for jazz. Celebrate the Ornette with a list of five great albums spanning from 1959-2006.
The Shape of Jazz to ComeRelease Year: 1959 | Label: Atlantic Records Personnel: Ornette Coleman (alto saxophone), Don Cherry (trumpet), Charlie Haden (bass), Billy Higgins (drums) Why You Need To Hear It: One of jazz’s watershed moments, The Shape of Jazz to Come did away with chord changes, traditional harmonies; indeed, it did away with many of our preconceptions of this music. It’s also hauntingly beautiful, sometimes exuberant, and one of the most bluesy masterpieces of this music. Purchase: Amazon | iTunes Ornette Coleman Free Jazz Reviews![]() Free JazzRelease Year: 1960 | Label: Atlantic Records Personnel: Don Cherry (trumpet), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Ornette Coleman (saxophone), Eric Dolphy (bass clarinet), Scott LaFaro (bass), Charlie Haden (bass), Billy Higgins (drums), Ed Blackwell (drums) Why You Need To Hear It: A profound artistic statement in the new music, Free Jazz showed a double quartet in a largely spontaneous, improvised session. Both novel and exhilarating while also beautiful and even familiar (collective improvisation dates back to jazz’s origins), Free Jazz was and is a far more accessible outing than many gave it credit for being. Purchase:Amazon | iTunes Ornette Coleman Free Jazz AlbumDancing in Your HeadRelease Year: 1976 | Label: Horizon Records Personnel: Ornette Coleman (alto saxophone, trumpet, violin), Robert Palmer (clarinet), Master Musicians of Joujouka (reeds, strings, drums), Bern Nix (guitar), Charles Ellerbee (guitar), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (electric bass), Ronald Shannon Jackson (drums) Why You Need To Hear It: In 1973, Ornette Coleman went to Morocco and made a field recording with the Master Musicians of Joujouka. These tapes were finally released in 1976 on this record, and were paired with tracks featuring the in-formation Prime Time. An infectiously danceable, amazingly melodic and innovative album, and one of Coleman’s most accessible. Purchase: Amazon | iTunes Of Human FeelingsRelease Year: 1979 | Label: Antilles Records Personnel: Ornette Coleman (alto saxophone) Charles Ellerbee (guitar), Bern Nix (guitar), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (electric bass), Grant Calvin Weston (drums), Denardo Coleman (drums) Why You Need To Hear It: Prime Time, Ornette’s fusion-style band, was famed for its doubled-up rhythm section and remarkable sense of dance, all within Coleman’s free vision. Of Human Feelings is one of the band’s finest outings, in particular the track Times Square. Purchase: This title is out of print Ornette Coleman Free Jazz AlbumSound GrammarRelease Year: 2006 | Label: Sound Grammar Personnel: Ornette Coleman – (alto saxophone, trumpet, violin), Gregory Cohen (bass), Anthony Falanga (bass), Denardo Coleman (drums) Why You Need To Hear It: Pulitzer Prizes for jazz artists are rare; only two artists—Wynton Marsalis and Ornette Coleman - have won one. Coleman’s 2006 masterpiece Sound Grammar earned him the award in 2007, and it’s easy to hear why: a bluesy, sonorous, and even playful album that amply rewards multiple listens. Purchase: Amazon ![]() Ornette Coleman Free Jazz Review
To learn about more jazz greats, enroll in a Swing University course and check out Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz Academy Video Library for lessons in jazz history and performance.
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