Ornette Coleman Music

This is my favorite Ornette Coleman albums and is among my favorite jazz albums. I love the combination of the professional virtuosity of Ornette's sax and Charles Haden's bass with Denardo's brilliant primitive drumming and ornette's amateurish violin and trumpet.

The album title is an anti-war statement and Ornette painted the album cover, which is photographed crooked.

Other favorite jazz albums include:

Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch

James Blood Ulmer - Are You Glad To Be In America?

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

Two Siberians - Out Of Nowhere

First released in maybe 1967, this is great stuff, father Ornette and then 10-year old son on drums... already moving with the dissonance and the staggered rhythms with shafts of absolute lyrical beauty filtering in. Wonderful, recommended.

This is my favorite Ornette Coleman albums and is among my favorite jazz albums. I love the combination of the professional virtuosity of Ornette's sax and Charles Haden's bass with Denardo's brilliant primitive drumming and ornette's amateurish violin and trumpet.

The album title is an anti-war statement and Ornette painted the album cover, which is photographed crooked.

Other favorite jazz albums include:

Sonny Sharrock - Ask The Ages

Eric Dolphy - Out To Lunch

James Blood Ulmer - Are You Glad To Be In America?

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

Two Siberians - Out Of Nowhere

First released in maybe 1967, this is great stuff, father Ornette and then 10-year old son on drums... already moving with the dissonance and the staggered rhythms with shafts of absolute lyrical beauty filtering in. Wonderful, recommended.

Recorded in New York, partly as a trio [w/ bass & percussion] & also as a string section, this is not as immediately appealing or likely to receive as much repeated playing as say The Shape of Jazz To Come, but it is some brilliant music nevertheless. It opens w/ a 9-minute track called Doughnut which spirals up & down very stylishly, & is probably my favourite track off the album. Sadness + Dedication to Artists & Writers both feature a lot of violin & are slow, brooding & moody, something rather different to the other stuff he was doing but very powerful, I think he himself isn't playing, maybe conducting his composition [he has said he wants to be known as more than just a saxophonist]. Side 2 features a 23-minute piece called The Ark which lets him fully explore the outer reaches of the sax playing spectrum & mixes both styles. The audience is polite in that it waits until each piece is over then applauds loudly. I know I would I had been there.

This album is a bit pricey, and I wish it would be re-leased at a cheaper price or as part of a box-set. Nevertheless, I recently purchased this CD and it is one of my favourite Coleman offerings. The CD begins with two short, lyrical pieces featuring a trio of Coleman, David Izenzon on bass, and Charles Moffet on percussion. The third track is a piece for a string quartet and sounds to me closer to a through-composed contemporary classical piece than a free jazz performance (this is not a complaint, merely an observation). The CD ends with another piece by the trio, a magnificent, fiery, 23 minute improvisation. I was particularly impressed by the interplay between David Izenzon bowed bass and Charles Moffet's polyrhythms throughout the trio sections of the album. This is free jazz, but it doesn't sound at all like dense, difficult earlier albums like "Free Jazz." Instead the music is often quietly eerie, with Coleman freely exploring themes over Izenzon's long, winding notes.

This disc gives a great overview of many periods of Ornette Coleman's musical history, from his early days up to his more recent work. The scope of the selection makes it a good choice for someone who wants a broad overview of Coleman's very important work.

I am relativley new to jazz and trying to build a modest collection. After researching top jazz artists recommendations and "must have" cd lists, Ornette was among them. I must admit I was skeptical at first, being he was a controversial musician at the time. Listened to the album I was blown away. Each piece was masterfully played. Ornette played with such passion and I am intrigued with the way he switches from smooth and relaxed style of playing to an intense high pitched style. Definitely a good startup cd for beginners like me who are looking for good quality jazz playing.

I didn't really know anything about Ornette Coleman before this cd. So when I heard it for the first time, especially the 17 minute "First Take", I thought I'd never get into it or understand it. It was hard at first. But now, after a few listens, I think it's great and amazing. Even "First Take", which at first seemed like nothing but noise with no formula or reason, has now come together for me. And I think that's the answer for people just discovering Coleman. At first you may not like or understand it. But if you like jazz, just hang in there and give it a chance. It will all come together eventually. The booklet includes photos and an essay on Ornette.

With over 70 minutes of music, you definitely get your money's worth with this one. And there is no other compilation that includes tracks from various labels for which Ornette recorded. One track from Ornette's first session, two tracks from the 'shape of jazz to come' one from 'the golden circle'and even some of his later work like 'Dancing in your head'. You even get 17 minutes of 'first take' from 'Free Jazz'. Quite simply, the definitive compilation of Ornette Coleman out there.

The success of Ken Burns' JAZZ video series has obviously revived interest in the music, and particularly for these single-disc representations of the careers of a number of all-time jazz greats. I can imagine more than a few potential collectors of the Ken Burns CD series coming upon this disc and getting a little queasy, given the "avant-garde" label tagged on Ornette Coleman's music.

To those potential purchasers, I would recommend this CD if your newfound affinity for jazz extends to the likes of modernists Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane (all of whom are also represented in this series). Yes, Ornette's music is perhaps less formally tied to the structural paradigms of the bop / post-bop era of modern jazz. Yet most of the music here follows a familiar theme / solos / theme approach, the musicians are top-rate (Haden, Cherry, Higgins, Blackwell, Lafaro, Tacuma, etc.), the melodies are generally memorable (often joyous and witty), and the blues has an overt presence, albeit taken to somewhat more abstract levels than even his modernist predecessors. Indeed, if you like Charlie Parker's playing, you might feel quite at home with most of Coleman's solos, even though Ornette uses slurred phrases and other vocal sounds to a greater extent than Bird.

...and if FREE JAZZ (FIRST TAKE)--the most "avant-garde" cut on this CD--is a bit of a struggle to get through at first, you're not alone. However, there is a method to the seeming madness that becomes clearer with subsequent hearings. Other than that, this CD primarily focuses on small-group recordings, including a number of Ornette's most-famous compositions (LONELY WOMAN, etc.). The last two tracks demonstrate Coleman's willingness to find dramatic new contexts to his approach: THE GOOD LIFE and THEME FROM A SYMPHONY (variation 2) is the same tune performed first with a symphony orchestra, second with an avant-funk/jazz electric ensemble (two guitars, two basses, two drums). THEME takes the listener to 1975...in a perfect world there would be a disc two to bring us up to the present. Nonetheless, this is as good an intro to Ornette as one will find.

This Bartok quartet # 3 is superior to the grammy winning Emerson Quartet rendition(I also own) both artistically & technically(sound recording/reproduction).
This is an emotionally bright, joyful CD.
The ONLY problem is deciding which tracks to skip if your listening time only permits 30-45 minutes.

This is one of Kronos' weakest CDs. As a driving force for new music in the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, they've been invaluable in commissioning, performing and recording new works. But when they try to play the great music of old, they reveal themselves to be a below-average ensemble. Such is the case here with their Bartok 3, arguably the best of the composers' six quartets. Kronos' anemic sound is combined here with occasionally vague rhythm, utter lack of dynamic contrast and single-color playing, and the result is something of a joke, especially in comparison with some of the great recordings by groups such as the Emerson, Tokyo, and Takacs quartets.

The other works on the disc are weak and easily forgettable (including the odd, somewhat cheesy Johnston arrangement), though the Volans is mildly entertaining. In short, don't waste your time or money on this recording.

I agree with the previous reviewer...the Kronos rendition of Bartok Quartet #3 is charitably described as anemic. Compared to any number of other recordings (most notably, in my opinion, the 1963 Juilliard version), it underscores my feeling that Kronos would be well-advised to avoid the standard repertoire and stick to works composed specifically for them.

Aside from the lousy Bartok, the only piece of note (for me) was the Kevin Volans piece, which earns this album the lofty 3 stars I have given it. The other pieces seem to be largely filler, and are so unmemorable as to be forgotten as soon as they are finished. Definitely not one of Kronos' better efforts.

I first saw this program on Ovation TV and I had to buy it for my own.
Music is a very important part of my life--it has saved me many times!
And the music on this film is some of the best--Eric Clapton,the Allmans,
etc.Tom Dowd was a genius in the control room--he worked with SO many of
the greatest musicians ever recorded.He also had a very interesting life
apart from music,but I don't want to ruin it by telling you what he was
involved in!For your own pleasure,entertainment and education,buy this
DVD.It will give you nothing but pure joy.God Rest Your Soul,Mr.Dowd.

I don't know how Tom Dowd's identity and influence escaped me for so many years. His influences as engineer, producer and omnipresent encourager of creative greatness were all over the music and albums that were like oxygen to me during the 60's and 70's. And I read every word about every person and player on every album cover like they were scripture. It really speaks to Mr. Dowd's dedication to putting the music first that his undeniable influence is so hard to find an acknowledgment for.

I remember first hearing about him on NPR a few years ago and wondered how he had slipped by my attention as his milieu was Atlantic Records during that label's most incredible heyday and he knew and worked with every amazing musician and band that was affiliated with Atlantic Records.

But I didn't know about this documentary until it popped up on Netflix as an auto-recommend and I jumped on it. I watched it last night and it's an amazing story of a super intelligent guy who understood music and musicians at a molecular level and who had to have been among the nicest and most well loved personalities ever in the music business.

There are a slew of larger than life personalities associated with the Atlantic label; the Ertegun brothers, Jerry Wexler and, of course all the great musicians. But Tom Dowd's place in that group is as secure as any. His story is as unique and implausible as a personal story gets but here it is. If you are into great stories, great Jazz/Rock/R&B etc. and interesting interviews with the some of the giants of the 60"/70's music scene. Watch and enjoy this DVD.

And, of course, there's plenty of great music throughout. And make sure to go through the "extras". Many more insights there and lots of commentary and reminiscing by Tom's peers and creative associates.

I would recommend watching the DVD "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story" along with "Tom Dowd & the Language of Music". Both DVD's stand on their own without a doubt. But their stories are very intertwined and it really fills out the story's of both Stax and Atlantic to watch both.

Rest in Peace Mr. Dowd. You helped to create a beautiful noise while you were here.

Any fan of 20th century contemporary jazz and rock will love this documentary - Tom Dowd made the genius musician sound like a genius. He would climb into a song just like the musician did and helped create some of the most enduring records of all time. For me in particular, the section where he re-visits the recording of "Layla", and he's sitting at the board and isolates just the guitars of Duane and Eric interplaying is simply spine tingling. Dowd says "Those are not human notes..." I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Tom's story is amazing and a must see. From the casual listener to the musician, this movie will certainly be relevant. Excellent interviews with Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, and many others help make this story come to life. Tom Dowd was one amazing engineer, one amazing musician, and one amazing human being. You will definitely enjoy this movie.

After seeing this on the Sundance channel I had to buy it. I LOVE music and I didn't know who Tom Dowd was. This story has famous musicians relating how important Tom Dowd was in the creation of famous songs like Layla. Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Dickie Betts, and Greg Alman all discuss their relationship with Tom and how influential he was to the music industry. If you like Jazz, Rock, or Soul, you will love this video.
If you are like me, you will enjoy turning your friends on to this must see video.