Ornette Coleman: Classic Or Dud?

more like ornot aliveman

this one trips me out, there's basically a full-on funk breakdown in the middle (in 1960!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=405MdvmBoAU

starting when the trumpet comes in at around 2:50

i LOVE the (not sure if terminology is right) coda thing (around 5:38)that brings una muy bonita to an end. a moment of pure genius imho

man, my facebook is wall to wall ornette. it's nothing but ornette clips and one video of a dolphin and a kitten.

sad that a dolphin and a kitten died

Sorry for lack of visual interest, but this was provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group, so won't be taken down, I hope. Ornette lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFCWU0n1jLE

I was at that show. The feeling in the room immediately before, and when, Ornette came onstage gives me goosebumps now, thinking about it.

Saw him at the Barbican probbaly ten years ago - lots of warmth, no imcomprehension.

:-(

This is fun: Ornette w Lou Reed and combo, on takes of Lou's "Guilty," with the words changing a little each time, along with the sax and one of the guitars, bass a bit less so. For total effect, my faves are the first and last versions---listen on headphones if you got 'em, but voice, sax and drums, or drum, come through even on tiny laptop speakers.
http://www.loureed.com/guilty/

WKCR is all-Ornette through next Wednesday:
https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/wkcr/story/ornette-coleman-memorial-broadcast

Looks like xyzzzz went to the same gig I went to. Ornette also came on stage at the end of the Charlie Haden gig, but sadly they didn't play together that evening. Dancing in my head, always. RIP

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa362/Andrew_Littlefield/179479_185726988128819_3151412_n_zpsi29np0kb.jpg

RIP, he did good.

=(

Along with James Brown, a legend I never saw live simply because I mixed up my dates.

I used his Free Jazz album during a presentation for a Buddhist class. I think the idea of Now! might be described on the liner notes. Powerful music.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=798627630174468&fref=nf

http://www.freejazzblog.org/2015/06/ornette-coleman.html

I have two Ornette Coleman stories.

1) In 2003 or 2004, I saw him on 7th Avenue & 36th or 37th Street, near his apartment, & ran across the street in total fanboy mode. He asked me if I played an instrument, & I told him I’d played the trumpet for awhile, but given it up to stay focused on writing. He said, “You should have kept at it, ‘cause you can make the same mistakes either way.”

2) When I interviewed him at his apartment in 2009, two ladies who lived in the building stopped by to visit. There was no occasion that I knew of, but they’d brought chocolate cake, and Ornette cut me a slice. It was great. Before I left, he gave me autographed sheet music for two pieces, and signed my BEAUTY IS A RARE THING booklet.

Great stories both

RIP

yes, great stories

much love and good feeling to ornette's loved ones

Classic

this is making me very sad

i wonder if there will be a tribute show somewhere in chicago

if anyone knows, please let me know.

i've probably listened to ornette as much or more than any other musician in the past decade

1) In 2003 or 2004, I saw him on 7th Avenue & 36th or 37th Street, near his apartment, & ran across the street in total fanboy mode. He asked me if I played an instrument, & I told him I’d played the trumpet for awhile, but given it up to stay focused on writing. He said, “You should have kept at it, ‘cause you can make the same mistakes either way.”

So awesome.

RIP to the best.

2) When I interviewed him at his apartment in 2009, two ladies who lived in the building stopped by to visit. There was no occasion that I knew of, but they’d brought chocolate cake, and Ornette cut me a slice.

I love this one too, what a beautiful memory to have of someone.

Sadness w the gladness here: on Ornette last summer, at celebration of his music in Prospect Park:
http://robertchristgau.com/xg/music/coleman-14.php

he seemed very shaky at that show but he still played excellent

My friend John_W found Ornette with Grateful Dead (during "Space"):http://bit.ly/1QQh42Y

Just heard on NPR that today's Fresh Air will reprise interviews w Ornette, Denardo, and some of the musicians who played with them (think earlier announcement specified Haden and Cherry, but the news isn't yet on FA;s NPR or Twitter pages).

I noticed some Free Jazz naysayers upthread, is that a commonly held view among "free music" fans? Because I listened to it for the first time in years yesterday, and I'm always surprised how playful it is (and even danceable in my mind; must be the walking bass line in much of it.) I love how the composed themes pop up out of the skronk - and it's not really even all that skronky to me. Like, I can't hang with a lot of later period Coltrane and similar stuff, but I really love Free Jazz. RIP Ornette.

The only personal knock I have on the album Free Jazz is that is a little tentative, and sometimes it feels like guys waiting to solo and not really playing together, exactly. I mean this kind of me quibbling, like I'm not ever going to get rid of my copy of it and it's hard to dislike a record that has Ornette and Dolphy and Freddie Hubbard on it.

I dig the heavy Coltrane blowouts and I dig Ornette.

Also I haven't listened to it in a while so I might be talking out of my ass

I was listening to Body Meta this morning...I'm not sure what kind of music it is exactly (no-wave-jazz-funk?) but man it is so good

Listened to "The Shape of Jazz to Come" and "Tomorrow is the Question!" both I'd never heard before. Really great stuff! I don't know much about jazz but I like this.

Listened to "Shape of Jazz to Come", "Body Meta" and "Dancing in Yr Head" last night... and some James Blood Ulmer for good measure!

I listened to Body Meta too! Never knew it existed until yesterday, I'd never seen a copy. Yeah, no wave jazz funk is about right.

It's nuts

I remember one summer being obsessed with Body Meta and the first Contortions record....haha I was really popular at parties

I've never really been able to get a grip on the Prime Time records.

That seems to be the point of them, in some ways?

Didn't know this existed until today, and it's pretty fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANUvI297Eig

This quote (from the Times obit) is very harmolodic.

“One of the things I am experiencing is very important,” he said in his Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech. “And that is: You don’t have to die to kill, and you don’t have to kill to die. And above all, nothing exists that is not in the form of life, because life is eternal with or without people, so we are grateful for life to be here at this very moment.”

love that speech
Ornette's remarks after getting his lifetime achievement grammy

aw man I was wondering why this had 60 new answers

RIP

very #based acceptance speech

Would have loved to been there to take the tenor of the room when he finished the speech.

Or even the alto of the room

Ornette did appear briefly on the telecast as a presenter (after a cursory "here's the lifetime achievement award recipient, and here's why, in 30 seconds" video). iirc, he handed the Best New Artist award to Chris Brown.

Carrie Underwood actually!