Ornette Coleman, May 1968

[Lazaro Vega]

On May 7, 1968 Ornette Coleman completed the recording sessions for two Blue Note albums, “New York Is Now” and “Love Call.” With his boyhood friend Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone and a pocketful of original music, Coleman invited John Coltrane’s sidemen, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, into the studio where “Broad Way Blues,” “Back Home” and “Check Out Time” were recorded, as we heard last night during “The Jazz Retrospective” segments of “Jazz From Blue Lake” which you can hear right now today at our on-demand page www.bluelake.org/ondemand

[AllenLowe]

I saw that basic band at Slug's in '69, with Haden on bass and Billy Higgins. It's so deeply etched in my memory, a very formative experience, particularly for Haden having sat with us between sets and explained the music.

[mjzee]

52 minutes ago, AllenLowe said:

I saw that basic band at Slug's in '69, with Haden on bass and Billy Higgins. It's so deeply etched in my memory, a very formative experience, particularly for Haden having sat with us between sets and explained the music.

What did he say when he explained the music, if you recall?

[AllenLowe]

I recall exactly - he described how it was his job to follow Ornette, and to play a bass line that followed the melody that Ornette was creating.

Pretty basic, but wondrously accomplished by him in that group.

[Gheorghe]

I love those two records.   They are beautiful.

The Garden of Souls...... and you know I´m more the kind of be-bop boy..... but this one really moves me, it´s like a lotus blossoms or some wonderful flowers......

I love all of it, there are more straight ahead things with straight ahead sections, but this was part of the game if you recorded for BN (even if I think Alfred Lion already had left and maybe it was only Francis Wolff who remained).

I alway called those two LPs as something like "Free Jazz light" since it´s easier for non free jazz guys to follow.

I really can enjoy the trumpet on "Love Call".....see that´s Ornette, if I listen to Ornette playing trumpet or violin I listen to Ornette, if I wan´t to listen to a trumpet player I listen to all those from Diz to Miles to Freddie, to Don Cherry .

From all the BN outputs of Ornette (the 2 Golden Circles, the Empty Foxhole, the trumpet parts on Jackies "Old and New  Gospel".....) those last 1968 albums are those for easier listenin, as I told you "free jazz light".....