There are some musicians and albums that you never forget, and Ornette Coleman’s music most certainly leaves an indelible impression. His experiments in free jazz tore at the fabric of harmony in jazz and opened a torrent of personal expression that equally garnered followers as well as detractors.
Ornette was born in Fort Worth, Texas and was an early admirer of Charlie Parker. He learned to play the alto saxophone at the age of 14, and the early years of his music career were spent playing in a variety of R&B bands in Texas. Coleman moved to Los Angeles in the early 1950’s where he would meet Don Cherry and other kindred spirits. By 1959 he was splaying at the Five Spot and garnering both praise and derision, as he would his whole life, but also that year he released his first masterpiece, in a succession of masterpieces, that still reverberate throughout Jazz and avant-garde music.
The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)
This remains Coleman’s first masterpiece and contains the song “Lonely Woman,” which would go on become a jazz standard. On this album Coleman’s experiments are not as far out as his next few albums, but they definitely sound more free flowing in comparison to other musicians. Coleman pretty much abandons harmony to just solo on a variety of melodies and themes.
Free Jazz (1961
This is the album that completely broke down all barriers and unleashed completely free continuous improvisation. Coleman did arrange the order of soloists and some transitions, but ultimately everything else involves completely free improvisation. On the albums are two quartets with one playing in each speaker. The musicians consist of two drummers, two bassists, two trumpeters, a bass clarinetist, and of course Ornette on alto saxophone. Several important musicians played on this record from Eric Dolphy and Don Cherry to Charlie Haden and Freddie Hubbard. The element of collective improvisation in jazz had never gone this far before, and this album significantly influenced avant-garde music going forward.
Science Fiction (1971)
This is one of Coleman’s later works and it was his first album for Columbia records. Once again it features the famous bassist Charlie Haden, as well Don Cherry on trumpet, and contains some of Coleman’s most intense and unique solos. Indian vocalist Asha Puthli is featured on two tracks, while David Henderson recites poetry over the title track.
Some other great works of Coleman’s that the library has in its collection are Change of the Century, This Is Our Music, and Ornette. I also recommend the documentary Ornette: Made in America by the filmmaker Shirley Clarke. The film documents Coleman’s return to his hometown in Fort Worth in 1983. Coleman was there to be recognized for his accomplishments, as well as perform his symphony Skies of America with the local orchestra. Other footage explores Ornette later years, as well as his childhood. The film was recently restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Also don’t hesitate to ask our friendly staff for recommendations if you’re wanting to explore a new genre of area of our collection.
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