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Best work by Ornette Coleman sidemen


Milestones

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It's not always clear to me how much Ornette influenced this or that musician...there have been countless. For the most part I have followed those who actually played with Ornette, especially the earlier musicians.  Unfortunately, I think they are all gone now. 

I particularly liked Old and New Dreams with four Colemen alumni, especially Playing on ECM.  I'm a big fan of Charlie Haden, and the Ornette influence is strong on several of the "Montreal" records.  Drummers...Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins...oh yeah!

Please discuss your favorites.

 

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Ornette collaborators still living include Bobby Bradford, Denardo Coleman, Bern Nix, James "Blood" Ulmer, Jamaladeen Tacuma, Al McDowell, Tony Falanga, Geri Allen, Charles Ellerbee, Charnett Moffett, Joachim Kühn, and Pharoah Sanders. I'm sure there are others.

Don Cherry's work as a Coleman front-line partner is extraordinary, and he led many incredible bands afterwards. Other than the rough session with Sanders and Scianni in '64, I can't think of too many clinkers in his sizable discography.

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The Old Dreams New Dreams band were my route into Ornette Coleman.

Though I'd add the Jarrett American Quartet even before that with the Dewey Redman connection. That's where I first heard that angular writing alongside the lush Romanticism at the other side of the band's personality. 

Edited by Bev Stapleton
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Ulmer's "Tales of Captain Black" (which Ornette plays on) was a life changer for me.

David Izenzon did nice work on "The Country and Western Sound of Jazz Piano" (which is a lot cooler than the title suggests), on some Archie Shepp albums, and Jaki Byard's "Sunshine of My Soul".

The Contortions - "Live in New York" consists of two shows where the lineup was blurred between James Chance's two bands, the Contortions and James White and the Blacks. I always thought Bern Nix' playing here made this set a good introduction for punk/no wave fans to the Ornette "school", especially on "Money to Burn" .

I'm a Don Cherry completist, but to single something out, the double album Mu (parts 1 and 2) with Blackwell is a favorite.

Dewey Redman's "Look for the Black Star" is my favorite of his records. (But recorded before he played with Ornette.)

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Yeah, I have that Chance set, on a ROIR CD. It's excellent.

Hard to choose Cherry, but other than the Togetherness suite (as recorded for Durium, with Aldo Romano and J-F Jenny-Clark), I'd single out his Swedish recordings as among the most go-to of the go-to. But that's just me, and that still covers a fair amount of ground: Eternal Now, Organic Music Society, Movement Incorporated, Live in Stockholm, and Modern Art. Would also like to hear the full session that bore La Maison Fille du Soliel (w/ Tusques, Guerin, Jenny-Clark), which is very cool but too damn short.

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I'm a fan of Ed Blackwell's two Enja dates with Carlos Ward, Graham Haynes and Mark Helis. WHAT IT IS and WHAT IT BE LIKE.


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Though, really, jump on the Dewey Redman / Blackwell RED & BLACK IN WILISAU before all else.


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Why not?  Why not at least the attempt?  Isn't it fair to say that Trane and Sonny admired Ornette as much as did Jackie Mac?  

Admiration, yes, but their musical worlds were quite different (especially Coltrane). 

Though I don't think New and Old Gospel is one of McLean's best records, the link between Ornette and Jackie is Charlie Parker, whom both were responding to and/or expanding on. It would have been interesting to hear them both playing alto on record, at least for one cut.

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If only there were recordings extant of that Newport Rebels group: Ornette, Kenny Dorham, Mingus, and Max Roach, IIRC. At least, there are photos in the Mosaic COMPLETE MINGUS CANDID box suggesting this quartet played together at the 1960 Newport Rebel Festival.

Ta-da!

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