Ornette Coleman - The Best Of Ornette Coleman (1970) [vinyl>flac]

A great compilation of various quartets led by Ornette Coleman from 1959-1960. Even though this LP is a random selection taken from Coleman’s classic Atlantic albums, the sound of the LP is outstanding, Enjoy!

Atlantic Records, SD 1558, 1970

Personnel:

#A1,B1

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone

Donald Cherry - Pocket Trumpet

Charlie Haden - Bass

Billy Higgins - Drums

#A2,A3

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone

Donald Cherry - Pocket Trumpet

Charlie Haden - Bass

Ed Blackwell - Drums

#A4

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone

Donald Cherry - Cornet

Charlie Haden - Bass

Billy Higgins - Drums

#B2

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone

Donald Cherry - Pocket Trumpet

Scott LaFaro - Bass

Ed Blackwell - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Una Muy Bonita {Ornette Coleman} (5:58)

Recorded 10th October, 1959 at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, California

Recording Engineer - Bones Howe

From Atlantic LP 1327

A2. Embraceable You {George & Ira Gershwin} (4:52)

Recorded 26th July, 1960 at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York

Recording Engineer - Tom Dowd

From Atlantic LP 1353

A3. Blues Connotation {Ornette Coleman} (5:16)

Recorded 19th July, 1960 at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York

Recording Engineer - Tom Dowd, Phil Iehle

From Atlantic LP 1353

A4. Lonely Woman {Ornette Coleman} (4:58)

Recorded 10th October, 1959 at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, California

Recording Engineer - Bones Howe

From Atlantic LP 1317

B1. Ramblin' {Ornette Coleman} (6:35)

Recorded 9th October, 1959 at Radio Recorders Studio, Hollywood, California

Recording Engineer - Bones Howe

From Atlantic LP 1327

B2. C & D {Ornette Coleman} (13:11)

Recorded 26th July, 1960 at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York

Recording Engineer - Tom Dowd

From Atlantic LP 1378

Credits:

Producer - Nesuhi Ertegun

Cover Photo - Lee Friedlander

Cover Design - Loring Eutemey

Liner Notes - Nat Hentoff

Ornette Coleman - Twins (1959-1961) [vinyl>flac]

Ornette Coleman's Twins has been looked at as an afterthought in many respects. A collection of sessions from 1959, 1960, and 1961 with different bands, they are allegedly takes from vinyl LP sessions commercially limited at that time to 40 minutes on vinyl, and not initially released until many years later. Connoisseurs consider this one of his better recordings in that it offers an overview of what Coleman was thinking in those pivotal years of the free bop movement rather than the concentrated efforts of The Art of the Improvisers, Change of the Century, The Shape of Jazz to Come, This Is Our Music, and of course the pivotal Free Jazz. There are three most definitive selections that define Coleman's sound and concept. "Monk & the Nun" is angular like Thelonious Monk, soulful as spiritualism, and golden with the rhythm team of bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins driving the sweet and sour alto sax of Coleman and piquant trumpeting of Don Cherry. "Check Up" is a wild roller coaster ride, mixing meters, tempos, and dynamics in a blender in an unforgettable display of sheer virtuosity, and featuring bassist Scott LaFaro. "Joy of a Toy" displays the playful Ornette Coleman in interval leaps, complicated bungee jumps, in many ways whimsical but not undecipherable. It is one of the most intriguing of all of Coleman's compositions. Less essential, "First Take" showcases his double quartet in a churning composition left off the original release This Is Our Music, loaded with interplay as a showcase for a precocious young trumpeter named Freddie Hubbard, the ribald bass clarinet of Eric Dolphy, and the first appearance with Coleman's groups for New Orleans drummer Ed Blackwell. "Little Symphony" has a great written line with room for solos in a joyful hard bop center with the quartet of Coleman, Cherry, Haden, and Blackwell. All in all an excellent outing for Coleman from a hodgepodge of recordings that gives a broader view of his vision and the music that would come later in the '60s. ~ by Michael G. Nastos, AMG.

Atlantic Records, SD 1588, 1971

"First Take" 21^st December, 1960 at A&R Studios, New York City

"Little Symphony" 19^th July, 1960, at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City

"Monk And The Nun" 22^nd May, 1959, at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California

"Check Up" 31^st January, 1961, at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City

"Joy Of A Toy" 26^th July, 1960, at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York City

Personnel:

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone (#A1-B3)

Don Cherry - Pocket Trumpet (#A1,B2), Cornet (#B1), Trumpet (#A2,B3)

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet (#A1)

Eric Dolphy - Bass Clarinet (#A1)

Scott LaFaro - Bass (#A1,B2)

Charlie Haden - Bass (#A1-B1,B3)

Ed Blackwell - Drums (#A1,A2,B2,B3)

Billy Higgins - Drums (#A1,B1)

Track Listing:

A1. First Take (16:56)

A2. Little Symphony (5:13)

B1. Monk And The Nun (5:52)

B2. Check Up (10:07)

B3. Joy Of A Toy (4:55)

Credits:

Producer - Nesuhi Ertegun

Recording Engineer - Tom Dowd (#A1,A2,B2,B3), Phil Iehle (#A2), Bones Howe (#B1)

Mastering Engineer - George Piros

Mixing [Re-Mix Engineer] - Geoffrey Haslam

Cover Design - Haig Adishian

Cover Photo - Omar Kharem

Liner Notes - Martin Williams