Ornette Coleman 'Sound Grammar'

[Chuck Nessa]

Review in the new Signal to Noise.

[7/4]

Dang...my CD Universe order that shipped today has it backordered.

There was a review in a recent the Wire.

Edited September 13, 2006 by 7/4

[Lazaro Vega]

CN: Review in the new Signal to Noise.

With a cover story on George Lewis, Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell.

Just read it: great review. The insight into Ornette having retained some of Prime Time's methods for the ensemble and how Ornette basically just blows over the curtain of sound is right on the money. In fact, the last part of that sentance is exactly what Nessa said immediately after hearing the band in Ann Arbor.

Edited September 13, 2006 by Lazaro Vega

[kh1958]

These boots of the older (mid-sixties) quartet, can you give dates and locations? I've heard 1967-11-30 from Amherst, Mass (very bad sound, incl. Sadness, C.O.D. and a few unknown titles), and 1968-02-05 from Milan (Italy) (much better sound, incl. Tutti, Three Wisemen and the Saint, New York).

Here are setlists of the new quartet (didn't put them together myself, wouldn't be able to do so):

Liubliana (Slovenia), 2004-07-02:

1. Song X; 2. If I Knew As Much About You...; 3. Women of the Veil; 4. Skies of America; 5.-7. Unidentified; 8. New York; 9. Unidentified; 10. Turnaround; 11. Lonely Woman

Austin, TX, 2004-11-14:

1. Unknown; 2. If I Knew As Much About You...; 3. Tone Dialing; 4. Mothers of the Veil; 5. New York; 6. Air Ship; 7.-9. Unknown; 10. Song X; 11. Turnaround

Chicago, IL, 2003-09-26:

1. New York; 2. Unknown; 3. Picolo Pesos; 4. Woman of the Veil; 5. Unknown; 6. Song X; 7. Unknown; 8. Spelling the Alphabet; 9. Turnaround

They played Lonely Woman in Austin.

[medjuck]

As well as offering "Sound Grammar" the iTunes music store has someething caled "Ornette Coleman on Unique Jazz". Anyone know what that is?

[ep1str0phy]

Miracle of miracles, the East Bay got some copies of Sound Grammar in. It's to early to formulate any cohesive thoughts (first listened last night), but I like what I hear. I may have to listen again, but most--if not all--of these themes have previously been recorded (all but 'Turnaround' and 'Song X' have been renamed--from memory, so someone correct me if I'm wrong). These are fine recastings, and the band dynamic here is as nuanced and fully established as on any of Ornette's recordings since the early Prime Time ensembles, methinks. Beautiful stuff.

[WD45]

As well as offering "Sound Grammar" the iTunes music store has someething caled "Ornette Coleman on Unique Jazz". Anyone know what that is?

Looks like a show from "Philharmonie", Berlin, West Germany, November 5, 1971. Also looks like I am gonna buy it!

[medjuck]

Thanks. Where'd you find this info? Does it give personnel?

[Chuck Nessa]

Thanks. Where'd you find this info? Does it give personnel?

It's in most of the discographies. Please buy one.

Ornette Coleman (as) Dewey Redman (ts) Charlie Haden (b) Ed Blackwell (d)

Concert, "Berlin Philarmonic", Berlin,

November 5, 1971

Street woman (Lonely woman) Unique Jazz UJ-13

Song for Che -

Whom do you work for? -

Rock the clock -

Happy house (Written word) -

Broken shadows (unissued)

Unique Jazz was a boot label with a "sister label" called Connoiseur. They had dozens of issues. I find it disturbing to see these on a "legit" download site.

Edited September 17, 2006 by Chuck Nessa

[medjuck]

Thanks. Where'd you find this info? Does it give personnel?

It's in most of the discographies. Please buy one.

Thqnks for the info.I probably won't buy a discogrphy. But rather than explain why here I'm going to start a new thread re: printed discographies on the discography thread. You're welcome to attack me there.

Edited September 18, 2006 by medjuck

[Chuck Nessa]

Thanks. Where'd you find this info? Does it give personnel?

It's in most of the discographies. Please buy one.

I probably won't. But rather than explain why here I'm going to start a new thread re: printed discographies on the discography thread. You're welcome to attack me there.

I didn't get this from a "printed discography".

[John L]

I just heard this for the first time yesterday. What a beautiful record! One for the ages! Talk about musical genius...

[JSngry]

Yeah, I got mine in the mail yesterday and listened a few times. It's good, it's Ornette being Ornette (as if he could ever be anybody/anything else...), and that's good enough for me. Kinda "retro", but when it's Ornette being Ornette, hey, that's pretty much a non-consideration. How do you confine timelessness to time?

I'm curious as to who made the introductions, though. That voice reminds me of Webster Armstrong!

Edited September 21, 2006 by JSngry

[jazzbo]

Can't wait to hear it! My copy is at home. . . and I'm not! A friend is going to forward to me my latest mail batch soon though!

Retro-nette. . . yes, I bet it is. I saw this group in Austin and I would agree that there definitely is a retrospective feel to the music and performance.

It was one of the best nights of music I've heard.

[Bol]

Just got mine today. Really a very fine CD. As good as his late 1950s recordings. His 2 quartet recordings with Geri Allen and Charnet Moffett were good but they in my opinion were seriously marred by some weird echo effect and some really innane singing on one of the two CDs (something like Diana Ross-Lionel Richie stuff). "Sound Grammar" seems to me excellent all around. Hope he doesn't wait so long before putting out another recording in the future.

[Quincy]

Still waiting, still dreaming. But I like what I'm reading.

[Late]

I ordered this one with the Mingus UCLA set, so I won't be getting it until after the 26th!

(And, while I was at it, I had to throw in Baker's Broken Wing and Hutcherson's Happenings.)

The end of the month will be good over here ...

[ep1str0phy]

Yeah, I got mine in the mail yesterday and listened a few times. It's good, it's Ornette being Ornette (as if he could ever be anybody/anything else...), and that's good enough for me. Kinda "retro", but when it's Ornette being Ornette, hey, that's pretty much a non-consideration. How do you confine timelessness to time?

I'm curious as to who made the introductions, though. That voice reminds me of Webster Armstrong!

Timelesness is really the operational word here.

[md655321]

Finally got a hold of this. I was lucky enough to see ornette with, i think, this quartet a few years back. absolutely fantastic album and concert.

[md655321]

As well as offering "Sound Grammar" the iTunes music store has someething caled "Ornette Coleman on Unique Jazz". Anyone know what that is?

Looks like a show from "Philharmonie", Berlin, West Germany, November 5, 1971. Also looks like I am gonna buy it!

Just noticed that this is also available from emusic.

[clifford_thornton]

Got it and will listen to it this weekend. It looks like it's got potential for some of that old country-blues swinging stuff, which I like!

[Larry Kart]

Anyone else notice that Ornette's solo on "Turnaround" begins with a quote from "If I Loved You" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" (as opposed, I guess, to somebody else's "Carousel")? It's the opening phrase of the Rodgers' melody, the one that goes with the words "If I loved you/Time and again I would try to say..." I stopped listening to post this, but so far I'd say that Ornette sounds almost overcome by joy (with a twinge of melancholy). His sound is caught nicely, too. And the horn seems to be doing his bidding as much as or even more than ever -- a lovely air of ease and fludity at age 76.

[7/4]

A damm fine performance and an excelent recording, I've been spinning it quite a bit.

[Chalupa]

Anyone else notice that Ornette's solo on "Turnaround" begins with a quote from "If I Loved You" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" (as opposed, I guess, to somebody else's "Carousel")? It's the opening phrase of the Rodgers' melody, the one that goes with the words "If I loved you/Time and again I would try to say..." I stopped listening to post this, but so far I'd say that Ornette sounds almost overcome by joy (with a twinge of melancholy). His sound is caught nicely, too. And the horn seems to be doing his bidding as much as or even more than ever -- a lovely air of ease and fludity at age 76.

Wow. First Dylan misappropriates some obscure Civil War era poet and now Ornette is quoting Rodgers and Hammerstein melodies in his solos. STOP THE MADNESS!!!

Edit to fix smilies

Edited September 30, 2006 by Chalupa

[Larry Kart]

Speaking of that Ornette quote from "If I Loved You" at the beginning of his "Turnaround" solo, I just checked out how Hammerstein's lyric continues:

"If I loved you,

Time and again I would try to say

All I'd want you to know.

If I loved you,

Words wouldn't come in an easy way

Round in circles I'd go!"

"Round in circles I'd go" on "Turnaround" -- pretty neat if that's part of what stirred the allusion into being in Ornette's mind. Also IIRC (I don't have a version of "If I Loved You" at hand, so I can't be sure), what's happening musically in the phrase "Round in circles I go" bears a fairly intense, at once circular and somewhat off-center, resemblance to what's happening musically in "All I'd want you to know."