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Favorite Ornette Coleman compositions?


Shawn

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Forgive me if this topic has been covered elsewhere...

I haven't studied Coleman's recordings in great detail yet, I've been nibbling away at his catalog for the past few years. But recently I've been getting the urge to focus more intensely on his compositions. So I'm curious to hear the opinions of my fellow board members on this subject.

If you can, describe what it is that inspires you about certain pieces. Also, if you can, recommend good performances of the tunes by other artists.

A couple of my favorites...

Lonely Woman - I find this song to be completely addictive, one of those tunes that I constantly get cravings to hear. I can't find sufficient words to describe it, but it is somehow gorgeous & disturbing at the same time. I highly recommend Helen Merrill's vocal version on A Shade Of Difference.

Una May Bonita - I was first exposed to this piece on Bobby Hutcherson's Stick Up! and loved it immediately. For someone that is considered by many to be "difficult", I find this song is a great example of Coleman's sense of humor, it's playful but is winking at you at the same time.

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If I had to pick one, and only one, it would be "Una May Bonita".

Thank god I don't have to!

Quartet Out regularly plays "Street Woman", and that one I've gone from just liking it a lot to real, really feeling.

"Ramblin'" is damn near impossible to dislike, I think, as are all of his other blues "variants" over the years.

Hell, I love'em all!

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I've always thought "Law Years" was one of Ornette's very best tunes (and probably not the first tune people think of either).

Back in March, I saw Faruq Z. Bey, Skeeter Shelton, and Mike Carey with the Northwoods Improvisers (Mike Johnston, Mike Gilmore, and Nick Ashton) do a great version of "Law Years".

Other favorite Ornette tunes that come to mind are the aforementioned "Lonely Woman", "Peace", "Happy House", "Broken Shadows", and "Una Muy Bonita". There's also "Blues Connotation", "Beauty Is A Rare Thing", and "Humpty Dumpty".

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Two Ornette compositions that, to me, should have been included on the original Atlantic releases, and that equal the beauty and authenticity of his other, more noted compositions are:

• Rise and Shine

• I Heard it Over the Radio (which was retitled for the Golden Circle concert)

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