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Ornette Coleman – The Shape Of Jazz To Come (Speakers Corner)

Original price $68.00 - Original price $68.00
Original price
$68.00
$68.00 - $68.00
Current price $68.00
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Ships from: Melbourne
  • Description
  • Release details
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  • Ornette Coleman is probably the most influential avant-garde musician in the world. Coleman is a leading force in jazz. His emotive alto saxophone style is based on melodic improvisation that is not constrained by chord changes. This style (and philosophy) was called "Harmolodics" by Ornette Coleman and reached its peak in a small combo whose virtuoso playing had the power of the blues and the multi-rhythmic sophistication of Monk, Mingus or Coltrane. The Shape Of Jazz To Come is Ornette Coleman's debut on Atlantic and his first recording with his revolutionary quartet: Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins. And it still defines the shape of jazz of the future.

    Ornette Coleman (as); Don Cherry (crt); Charlie Haden (b); Billy Higgins (dr).

    It was John Lewis, the pianist from the Modern Jazz Quartet, who introduced Ornette Coleman to the renowned Atlantic label. "Ornette Coleman is the only one doing something new in jazz," he wrote at the time. This first Atlantic album appeared in time for the Coleman Quartet's New York debut in November 1959. That Coleman "opened up new paths for the future of jazz" (according to Lewis) is also claimed by the album title, in German: 'Der Umriss des kommenden Jazz'.

    After the somewhat tired hardbop routine of the previous years, this music blew across the scene like a strong gust of wind. The fast pieces ("Eventuality", "Chronology") are reminiscent of wildly overdriven bebop. Other themes ("Congeniality", "Focus On Sanity") juggle with catchy, almost folk-like short motifs. With "Peace" and "Lonely Woman", which later also had lyrics and was sung many times, the album contains two of Coleman's most beautiful compositions.

    The Mulligan-Baker quartet was the model for the quartet instrumentation without piano - and once the band starts swinging along in midtempo, it really reminds one of cool jazz. However, the two wind players love the untamed 'cry' and the deliberately 'imprecise' interplay. They don't need clearly defined verse forms or harmony sequences. "A record that does not bear its loudmouthed title without good reason", wrote jazz researcher Peter N. Wilson about this record, rated 5 stars by Rolling Stone.

    This Speakers Corner production was made using 100% pure analogue master tape and mastering. All licenses and GEMA fees have been paid.

    Recording: May 1959 at the Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, by Bones Howe Production: Nesuhi Ertegun

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  • Artist: Ornette Coleman
    Format: LP
    Units: 1
    Country: Germany
    Genre: Jazz
    Style: Free Jazz
  • A1 Lonely Woman
    A2 Eventually
    A3 Peace
    B1 Focus On Sanity
    B2 Congeniality
    B3 Chronology