Ornette Coleman - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Course

At fourteen years, he studies the Alto saxophone then, two years later, the tenor. He starts by playing in orchestras of Rhythm and blues in the South of the the United States. He settles with Los Angeles where he is constrained to work as lift attendant while studying the harmony, the musical theory (largely as an autodidact) and while working out what will become the essence of its style, so much on the harmonic level than rhythmic (passing very close to the Atonalité supported by a fluctuating tempo).

The reception among its pars is mitigated, but already it receives the support of some of them. It is the bass player Red Mitchell who discovers it. It records in 1958 its first disc for the Contemporary firm Lester Koenig (“ Something else! ”, with Gift Cherry, Walter Norris, Gift Payne, Billy Higgins), then in 1959 “ Tomorrow is the question! ” (with a four-bit byte without piano including Cherry, Red Mitchell, Shelly Basket)… The same year, it obtains its first engagements in clubs of Jazz, with Los Angeles, then New York where it uses a Alto saxophone out of plastic.

Already it causes strong oppositions, but regularly continues to record, maintaining for the firm Atlantic, with Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, ED Blackwell, Don Cherry, (“ The shape off jazz to like ” (1959), “ Change off century ” (1959), “This is our music” (1959)).

In 1960, the album “ Free jazz ” sounds like a proclamation, although its author expressed later his gene in front of this concept. In this disc, impromptu without preparation by two quartetes (one on each stereo channel): Cherry and Freddie Hubbard with the trompettte, Ornette and Eric Dolphy, Scott LaFaro and Haden with low, Higgins and ED Blackwell with the battery. It is the first example of collective improvisation in the jazz of avant-garde.

In 1962, one also finds it with the trumpet and the violin.

In 1965, it returns on the music scene (after two years of relative inactivity), in Europe or with the cinema (“ Chappaqua continuation ”) often with David Izenzon (b) Charles Moffett (d), then with his/her son Denardo, beater as of the twelve years age (1966). It obtains a certain recognition (it is crowned “Jazzman off the Year” in 1966; then enters to the “Hall off Famed” in 1969 by the review “Down Beat”).

In 1972, it develops the obscure concept of “harmolodie” (“ Skies off America ” with the London Symphony Orchestra, where the musicians play simultaneously the same melody with various heights and in various tonalities), and continues a a little chaotic career, recording however regularly in multiple contexts (integral traditional musics, free, rock'n'roll, funk), but also with one of its old quartets (Gift Cherry, Haden, Higgins), with the guitarist Pat Metheny and with his electroacoustic group Prime Time .

Merry, primesautier, shy person, reserved, provocative, even scandalous, quiet dynamiter, skilful type-setter, discussed instrumentalist, admiror of Charlie Parker of which it prolongs but dynamite the style, even not artist however curses so much it enjoys to live in a relative darkness, it a long time caused judgments contrasted, polemical, even physical aggressions. Its influence diffuse and is contrasted; the Free jazz perdure partly on the bases which it stated, but the Funk also asserts it like precursor, testimony of the alive paradox of its existence and its Article.

Coleman seldom took part in albums of other musicians: Jackie McLean in 1967 (album on which Coleman plays of the trumpet), James Blood Ulmer in 1978, Joe Henry ( Scar ) in 2001 and Lou Reed in 2003 are the rare exceptions.

Personal discography

Something else : The music off Ornette Coleman (1958) (Contemporary/OJC)
Tomorrow is the question! (1959) (Contemporary/OJC)
The art off the improvisers (1959) (Atlantic)
The shape off jazz to as (1959) (Atlantic)
Exchange off the century (1959) (Atlantic)
This is our music (1960) (Atlantic)
Free jazz (collective improvisation has) (1960) (Atlantic)
Jazzlore: ornette coleman, vol. 29 (1961) (Atlantic)
Ornette! (1961) (Atlantic)
Twins (1961) (Atlantic)
Ornette one tenor (1961) (Atlantic)
Town Hall concert 1962 (1962) (ESP-Disk)
The great London concert (1965) (Freedom)
At the “Circle Golden delicious” in Stockholm, vol. 1 (1965) (Blue Notes)
At the “Circle Golden delicious” in Stockholm, vol. 2 (1965) (Blue Note)
An evening with Ornette Coleman (1965) (Black Lion)
The empty foxhole (1966) (Blue Notes)
Who' S crazy (1966) (Affinity)
Saints and soldiers (1967) (RCA)
The music off Ornette Coleman: forms and sounds (1967) (Bluebird)
Coils cal (1968) (Blue Note)
New York is now (1968) (Blue Note)
Crisis (1969) (Pulse!)
Ornette At 12 (1969) (Pulse!)
Friends and neighbors : live At prince street (1970) (Flying Dutchman)
Science fiction (1971) (Columbia)
Broken shadows (1971) (Tristar)
Ski off America (1972) (Columbia/Legacy)
Dancing in your head (1973) (A&M)
To whom who keeps has record (1975) (Atlantic)
Body meta (1976) (Liveliness)
Soapsuds, soapsuds (1977) (Artists House)
Of human feelings (1979) (the Antilles)
The unprecedented music off Ornette coleman (1980) (Lotus)
Opening the caravan off dreams (1985) (Caravan Off Dreams)
Premium design time design (1985) (Caravan Off Dreams)
Song X (1986) (Geffen)
In all languages (1987) (Caravan off Dreams)
Virgin beauty (1988) (Portrait)
Ton dialing (1995) (Harmolodic)
Colors: live from Leipzig (1996) (Harmolodic/Liveliness)
Hidden man (1996) (Harmolodic/Liveliness)
Sound Grammar (2006)

Homage

John Zorn, Spy vs. Spy - The Music off Ornette Coleman , Elektra/Musician, 1989.

External bonds (in English)

Official site
Archives of Ornette Coleman Online Files
Discographie
Biographie

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