ORNETTE COLEMAN "PRIME TIME - Jazzbühne Berlin '88 (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Song X    5:48
2    Music News    7:22
3    Chanting    2:40
4    Honeymoon    5:47
5    Realing The Feeling    8:01
6    Singing In The Shower    9:08
7    Dancing In Your Head    10:05
8    Bourgeoise Boogie    9:51
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Vocals, Leader, Composed By – Ornette Coleman
Bass Guitar – AL McDowell, Chris Wilker
Drums – Calvin Weston, Denardo Coleman
Guitar – Bern Nix, Charles Ellerbee

ORNETTE COLEMAN - The Empty Foxhole (1966-2015) RM | SHM-CD | Blue Note, The Masterworks | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ornette Coleman's brief tenure at Blue Note was neither as seminal as his Atlantic output nor as brazenly ambitious as his early-'70s work for Columbia and later with Prime Time. Still, the period did produce some quality music, and The Empty Foxhole is one of his most intriguing efforts. Coleman hadn't entered a recording studio in over four years when he returned -- with his ten-year-old son Denardo on drums. Coleman says in the liner notes that Denardo was ready to make a record the previous year, and he's not overestimating; Denardo's percussive coloring and shading never sounds lost or confused, and his stream-of-consciousness flow of ideas keeps up surprisingly well with his father and bassist Charlie Haden. The communal energy keeps flowing throughout the session, and the trio members play off of each other with an easygoing enthusiasm, even on the less memorable themes. Most evocative are the funereal military march of the title track, where Ornette's mournful trumpet plays off of Denardo's deliberate cadence, and "Sound Gravitation," a feature for Coleman's scratchy, percussive violin. Of the alto-driven pieces, "Good Old Days" has the fieriest flow of ideas, but he seems energized by his son's presence, and his playing is fairly exciting throughout. On balance, the music may not be among Coleman's most exceptional efforts, but there's something inspiring about the fact that The Empty Foxhole is as good as it is. Steve Huey  
Tracklist :
1    Good Old Days    6:45
2    The Empty Foxhole    3:15
3    Sound Gravitation    7:15
4    Freeway Express    8:15
5    Faithful    7:00
6    Zig Zag    5:55
Credits :
Trumpet (2, 4), Violin (3), Alto Saxophone (1, 5, 6), Painting [Cover], Composed By – Ornette Coleman
Bass – Charles Haden
Drums – Ornette Denardo Coleman
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
 

ORNETTE COLEMAN - Of Human Feelings (1979-1985) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

When one thinks of Ornette Coleman's innovative Prime Time Band, it is of crowded ensembles played by the altoist/leader, two guitars, two electric bassists, and two drummers. Actually, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, who plays enough for two musicians, is the only bassist on this date, but guitarists Charlie Ellerbee and Bern Nix, along with drummers Denardo Coleman and Calvin Weston, keep the ensembles quite exciting. None of the eight Coleman originals (which includes a tune titled "What Is the Name of That Song?") would catch on, but in this context they serve as a fine platform for Coleman's distinctive horn and often witty and free (but oddly melodic) style. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Sleep Talk 4'34
Ornette Coleman
2     Jump Street 4'24
Ornette Coleman
3     Him And Her 4'20
Ornette Coleman
4     Air Ship 6'11
Ornette Coleman
5     What is the Name of That Song? 3'58
Ornette Coleman
6     Job Mob 4'57
Ornette Coleman
7     Love Words 2'54
Ornette Coleman
8     Times Square 6'03
Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Producer – Ornette Coleman
Bass Guitar – Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Drums – Calvin Weston, Ornette Denardo Coleman
Guitar – Bern Nix, Charlie Ellerbee

PAT METHENY | ORNETTE COLEMAN - Song X : Twentieth Anniversary (1986-2005) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Pat Metheny had long expressed admiration for Ornette Coleman's music, had recorded his compositions, and had worked extensively with bassist Charlie Haden, so a collaboration was not totally unexpected, though who would have guessed that it would be on the Geffen label? Metheny's almost rock star status has worked against him in other partnerships from time to time (notably, his overbearing playing on his project with Derek Bailey, The Sign of 4), but here he happily sublimates his showier instincts and works as sympathetic co-leader, deferring to Coleman's experience and genius. The music itself bears strong similarities to that of Coleman's Prime Time ensembles wherein all players solo at once, bracketed by the themes of the piece. Metheny often manages to be a quite expressive second voice, racing along beside the master saxophonist, offering alternative strategies and never showboating. The tandem percussion team of Jack DeJohnette and Coleman's son Denardo are ferocious when need be, and Charlie Haden is his standard exemplary self. Metheny fans owe it to themselves to listen to some of his most exploratory and least "pastel" playing and, in fact, the album also contains some of Coleman's best work since the mid-'70s. Brian Olewnick
Tracklist :
1    Police People 4:57
Written-By – O. Coleman
Written-By [Improv Form] – P. Metheny
2    All Of Us 0:15
Written-By – O. Coleman
3    The Good Life 3:25
Written-By – O. Coleman
4    Word From Bird 3:48
Written-By – O. Coleman
5    Compute 2:03
Written-By – O. Coleman
6    The Veil 3:42
Written-By – O. Coleman
7    Song X 5:34
Written-By – O. Coleman
8    Mob Job 4:11
Written-By – O. Coleman
9    Endangered Species 13:18
Written-By – O. Coleman, P. Metheny
10    Video Games 5:20
Written-By – O. Coleman
11    Kathelin Gray 4:31
Written-By – O. Coleman, P. Metheny
12    Trigonometry 5:05
Written-By – O. Coleman, P. Metheny
13    Song X Duo 3:07
Written-By – O. Coleman, P. Metheny
14    Long Time No See 7:38
Written-By – O. Coleman
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Ornette Coleman
Bass – Charlie Haden
Drums – Jack DeJohnette
Drums, Percussion – Denardo Coleman
Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer [Guitar Synth] – Pat Metheny
Producer – Pat Metheny
Remastered By – Ted Jensen
Violin – Ornette Coleman (pistas: 8)

ORNETTE & PRIME TIME - Opening the Caravan of Dreams (1985) LP | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ornette Coleman's innovative Prime Time band is heard at the peak of its powers on this LP from the small Caravan of Dream label. The altoist/leader is the main voice throughout the otherwise very democratic ensembles, which feature guitarists Bern Nix and Charles Ellerbee, bassists Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Albert MacDowell, and drummers Denardo Coleman and Sabir Kamal. The six originals, which include such titles as "To Know What to Know," "Harmolodic Bebop" and "Sex Spy," feature dense ensembles, equal doses of dissonance and wit, and more than their share of high energy. This was the leading "free funk" band of the 1980s, and this LP, which is worth a search by open-eared listeners, gives one a definitive look into the group's unusual music. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
A1    To Know What To Know    7:56
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
A2    Harmolodic Bebop    6:04
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
A3    Sex Spy    5:36
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
B1    City Living    6:01
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
B2    See-Thru    4:31
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
B3    Compute    8:40
Composed By – Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Bass – Albert MacDowell, Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Drums – Denardo Coleman, Sabir Kamal
Guitar – Bern Nix, Charles Ellerbee
Sax, Trumpet, Violin  – Ornette Coleman

ORNETTE | THE ORIGINAL QUARTET & PRIME TIME - In All Languages (1987) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is an unusual and very stimulating double CD. On the first CD, Ornette Coleman, on alto and tenor, has a reunion with his original quartet, which is comprised of trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins. The second CD features Coleman's then-current edition of his "double quartet" Prime Time with guitarists Charlie Ellerbe and Bern Nix, electric bassists Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Al MacDowell, and drummers Denardo Coleman and Calvin Weston. Five of the ten songs the quartet plays are also heard in versions by Prime Time, and the latter electric group almost makes the acoustic unit sound conservative in comparison. While the quartet displays subtle use of space and interplay between the musicians, Prime Time comes across as overcrowded and loud, but no less stimulating. Highly recommended to fans of Ornette Coleman. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Peace Warriors 2'35
Ornette Coleman
2     Feet Music 3'32
Ornette Coleman
3     Africa Is the Mirror of All Colors 2'58
Ornette Coleman
4     Word for Bird 3'16
Ornette Coleman
5     Space Church (Continuous Services) 3'59
Ornette Coleman
6     Latin Genetics 3'39
Ornette Coleman
7     In All Languages 3'33
Ornette Coleman
8     Sound Manual 3'08
Ornette Coleman
9     Mothers of the Veil 3'45
Ornette Coleman
10     Cloning 3'14
Ornette Coleman
11     Music News 3'00
Ornette Coleman
12     Mothers of the Veil 4'28
Ornette Coleman
13     The Art of Love Is Happiness 2'29
Ornette Coleman
14     Latin Genetics 2'45
Ornette Coleman
15     Today Yesterday and Tomorrow 3'10
Ornette Coleman
16     Listen Up 2'29
Ornette Coleman
17     Feet Music 3'49
Ornette Coleman
18     Space Church (Continuous Services) 4'34
Ornette Coleman
19     Cloning 2'28
Ornette Coleman
20     In All Languages 3'06
Ornette Coleman
21     Biosphere 2'20
Ornette Coleman
22     Story Tellers 2'49
Ornette Coleman
23     Peace Warriors 2'23
Ornette Coleman
Credits :    
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Ornette Coleman (tracks: 1 to 10)
Bass – Al MacDowell (tracks: 11 to 23), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (tracks: 11 to 23)
Double Bass – Charlie Haden (tracks: 1 to 10)
Drums – Billy Higgins (tracks: 1 to 10), Calvin Weston (tracks: 11 to 23), Denardo Coleman (tracks: 11 to 23)
Ensemble – Prime Time (5) (tracks: 11 to 23)
Ensemble [Quartet] – The Ornette Coleman Quartet (tracks: 1 to 10)
Guitar – Bern Nix (tracks: 11 to 23), Charlie Ellerbee (tracks: 11 to 23)
Saxophone, Trumpet – Ornette Coleman (tracks: 11 to 23)
Trumpet – Don Cherry (tracks: 1 to 10)
Vocals, Written-By [Rhyme Written By] – Avenda "Khadijah" Ali (tracks: 2) 

ORNETTE COLEMAN AND PRIME TIME - Virgin Beauty (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD is often quite exciting, if a bit messy. Ornette Coleman (on alto, trumpet and violin) is heard with his "double quartet" Prime Time, which at the time was comprised of guitarists Bern Nix and Charlie Ellerbee, electric bassists Al MacDowell and Chris Walker, and drummers Denardo Coleman (who also plays some keyboards) and Calvin Weston. As if the ensembles are not dense and overcrowded enough, Jerry Garcia sits in on third guitar on three of the 11 Coleman originals. The music is frequently exciting, but will take several listens to absorb. Worth investigating. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     3 Wishes 4'21
Ornette Coleman
2     Bourgeois Boogie 5'11
Ornette Coleman
3     Happy Hour 4'47
Ornette Coleman
4     Virgin Beauty 3'34
Ornette Coleman
5     Healing the Feeling 5'21
Ornette Coleman
6     Singing in the Shower 4'24
Ornette Coleman
7     Desert Players 4'24
Ornette Coleman
8     Honeymooners 4'24
Ornette Coleman
9     Chanting 3'01
Ornette Coleman
10     Spelling the Alphabet 1'28
Ornette Coleman
11     Unknown Artist 4'13
Ornette Coleman
Credits :    
Bass – Al MacDowell, Chris Walker
Drums – Calvin Weston
Drums, Keyboards, Percussion – Denardo Coleman
Guitar – Bern Nix, Charlee Ellerbe, Jerry Garcia
Producer – Denardo Coleman
Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet, Arranged By – Ornette Coleman

HOWARD SHORE | ORNETTE COLEMAN - Naked Lunch [Music from the Original Soundtrack] (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

You couldn't do much better for a soundtrack to David Cronenberg's adaptation of William S. Burroughs' beat classic than have Ornette Coleman team up with Howard Shore, a film composer who keeps within the strictures of classic film score ideals and colorations, but explores them with the intelligence of Bernard Herrmann. Coleman's free jazz complements the schizophrenia of the film and pays homage to the generation that preceded (and gave birth to) him, while Shore maintains the melancholic dread that powers most Cronenberg films. Like the film -- where the Algiers of the story might only be Bill Lee's imagination -- Shore uses Arabian elements sparingly, and in the context of the cool New York sound. Wondrous strange. Ted Mills
Tracklist :
1     Naked Lunch 2'28
Howard Shore
2     Hauser and O'Brien/Bugpowder 2'39
Ornette Coleman / Howard Shore
3     Mugwumps 2'54
Howard Shore
4     Centipede 2'05
Howard Shore
5     The Black Meat 1'25
Howard Shore    
6     Simpatico / Misterioso 1'34
Thelonious Monk / Howard Shore
7     Fadela's Coven 3'33
Howard Shore     
8     Interzone Suite 5'13
Howard Shore
9     William Tell 1'44
Howard Shore
10     Mujahaddin 1'57
Howard Shore
11     Intersong 3'47
Ornette Coleman / Howard Shore    
12     Dr. Benway 3'14
Howard Shore
13     Clark Nova Dies 2'06
Howard Shore    
14     Ballad / Joan 2'39
Ornette Coleman / Howard Shore
15     Cloquet's Parrots / Midnight Sunrise 1'45
Ornette Coleman / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Howard Shore    
16     Nothing Is True; Everything Is Permitted 1'56
Howard Shore    
17     Welcome to Annexia 3'35
Howard Shore
18     Writeman 3'52
Ornette Coleman / Howard Shore
Credits :
Bass – Barre Phillips
Drums – Denardo Coleman
Featuring – The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Ney [Nai] – Aziz Bin Salem
Orchestrated By – Homer Denison
Producer, Conductor – Howard Shore
Saxophone – Ornette Coleman
Sintir – JJ Edwards

ORNETTE COLEMAN SOUND MUSEUM - Hidden Man (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For this project, altoist Ornette Coleman made one of his very few recordings with a pianist. On a vacation from his electrified Prime Time group, the innovative saxophonist (who also plays a bit of trumpet and his percussive violin) teams up with a purely acoustic trio (pianist Geri Allen, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Denardo Coleman) to perform 13 of his originals, plus the traditional "What A Friend We Have In Jesus." Most unusual is that another CD released at the same time (Three Women) has different versions of the exact same Coleman originals (plus one other song). Ornette Coleman shows throughout that he had not mellowed with age, and his concise yet adventurous improvisations (which are full of pure melody) are quite intriguing. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Sound Museum 6'16
Ornette Coleman
2     Monsieur Allard 2'56
Ornette Coleman
3     City Living 3'21
Ornette Coleman
4     What Reason 4'19
Ornette Coleman
5     Home Grown 3'08
Ornette Coleman
6     Stopwatch 2'25
Ornette Coleman
7     Women of the Veil 4'41
Ornette Coleman
8     P.P. (Picolo Pesos) 2'50
Ornette Coleman
9     Biosphere 3'11
Ornette Coleman
10     Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 4'10
Ornette Coleman
11     European Echoes 3'18
Ornette Coleman
12     What a Friend We Have in Jesus 4'38
Ornette Coleman / Traditional
13     Mob Job 3'10
Ornette Coleman
14     Macho Woman 2'17
Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums, Producer – Denardo Coleman
Piano – Geri Allen
Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet – Ornette Coleman

ORNETTE COLEMAN SOUND MUSEUM - Sound Museum Three Women (1996) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

In 1996, altoist Ornette Coleman simultaneously released a pair of 14-song CDs; 13 of his pieces are heard in different versions on both releases. Joined by a particularly stimulating rhythm section (pianist Geri Allen, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Denardo Coleman), Coleman (who also contributes some trumpet and violin) is in superior form throughout the performances. On "Don't You Know By Now" (the one tune that is only heard on this CD), Lauren Kinhan and Chris Walker take passionate vocals. Otherwise, this is an excellent showcase for Ornette's searching and emotional (yet melodic) improvisations, one of the very few occasions since 1958 when he can be heard using a conventional three-piece rhythm section. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Sound Museum 4'54
Ornette Coleman
2     Monsieur Allard 2'47
Ornette Coleman
3     City Living 3'31
Ornette Coleman
4     What a Reason 4'58
Ornette Coleman
5     Home Grown 3'24
Ornette Coleman
6     Stopwatch 2'31
Ornette Coleman
7     Don't You Know by Now 4'21
Ornette Coleman
8     P.P. (Picolo Pesos) 3'25
Ornette Coleman
9     Women of the Veil 4'49
Ornette Coleman
10     Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 4'14
Ornette Coleman
11     Biosphere 4'23
Ornette Coleman
12     European Echoes 4'57
Ornette Coleman
13     Mob Job 4'21
Ornette Coleman
14     Macho Woman 2'40
Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Bass – Charnett Moffett
Drums, Producer – Denardo Coleman
Piano – Geri Allen
Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet – Ornette Coleman

ORNETTE COLEMAN - Sound Grammar (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sound Grammar was recorded in Germany in front of a live audience in October of 2005 with his new quartet -- Greg Cohen (bass), Denardo Coleman (drums and percussion), Tony Falanga (bass), and Ornette (alto, violin, trumpet) -- it's the first "new" product from Coleman in ten years. That said, with the exception of "Song X," the last song on the program, the other five tunes are new, seemingly written just for this band. The use of two bassists here is not only a rhythmic consideration, but a sonorous one. Cohen picks his bass, while Falanga bows his. This heavy bottom and full middle, as it were, leave room for Denardo to interact with his father. While one can make somewhat logical comparisons to Coleman's At the "Golden Circle" in Stockholm recordings on Blue Note from four decades ago with Charles Moffett and David Izenzon, these are only logistical. This time out, Coleman's band is rooted deeply in modal blues -- check the slow yet intense "Sleep Talking." The intensity level is there but it's far from overwhelming, since this band plays together as one. Nothing is wasted, either in the heads of these pieces or in the solos. This band plays together literally as one, no matter what's happening. Listen to the interplay between the basses on "Turnaround," as Coleman finds his unique place in blowing the blues and melding harmolodically with his instantly identifiable lyric sound. As all these sounds blend together, they become, in their order to one another, grammar. And each member finds a unique place in the conversation in this ordered sonic universe.

The playfulness in "Matador" is infectious as the entire band walks through a sideways version of "Mexican Hat Dance" along with the sound of the crowd at a bullfight. As the work unfolds, it becomes clear that the struggle of species, blood, and passion is taking place in the ring of death and victory. The work ends back on the theme, with the crowd cheering (one assumes the matador won?). The rhythmic/melodic approach to improvising and timekeeping the bassists take is one of close listening, and carrying Coleman's harmolodic theory to its most beautiful and lyrical extreme. The place the blues inhabit in this working order is a special one, as Coleman is able to engage them at any time, pull them out, speak from them, and turn them inside out with his own linguistic and playfully melodic method of playing. This is no less so when he pulls out his trumpet, as he does on "Jordan," with the hardest-driving rhythmic setting of the disc. This also happens on "Call to Duty," where Coleman once again plays both instruments. The bassists push one another incessantly here -- and Cohen with this rhythmic attack can push any musician to his best performance -- while Denardo steps back and folds into the middle; he actually allows Ornette to slow time down somehow, no matter the pace. The deep blues are expressed in Falanga's solo in "Once Only," as he plays a doleful melodic line and moves off from it in bits and pieces. The violin comes out again in a ten-and-a-half-minute "Song X," which closes the concert. The playing is out and edgy, but never goes to the extremes it once did, in part due to Falanga's ability to create harmolodic counterpoint and pace Coleman's solo on the instrument into a great lyric context. Sound Grammar is one of those records that makes the listener realize just how much Ornette Coleman means to jazz, and how much he is missed as he releases something new only once a decade
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Intro 1'15
Ornette Coleman
2     Jordan 6'32
Ornette Coleman
3     Sleep Talking 8'55
Ornette Coleman
4     Turnaround 4'07
Ornette Coleman
5     Matador 5'57
Ornette Coleman
6     Waiting for You 6'50
Ornette Coleman
7     Call to Duty 5'34
Ornette Coleman
8     Once Only 9'41
Ornette Coleman
9    Song X 10'22
Ornette Coleman
Credits :    
Bass – Gregory Cohen, Tony Falanga
Drums, Percussion – Denardo Coleman
Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet, Arranged By – Ornette Coleman