ORNETTE COLEMAN - Body Meta (1975-1996) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The establishment of Ornette Coleman's self-determining Artists House label and his electric double-trio Prime Time coincided with the release of Body Meta, which changed many of the business and musical contours of jazz in the mid- to late '70s. Coleman proved that jazz musicians could determine their own fate and market their music without a major-label contract. He also advanced the orientation of jazz away from swing rhythms and into a deeper blues driven by funk and angular electric guitars inspired by the precepts of Thelonious Monk. A music that turned out to be crazier than most while attempting to be more people-oriented resulted in controversy. It was an indisputable new music amalgam that Coleman could claim as his own, yet which sprang forth into the so-called M-Base music movement of New York City. Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass guitar, Bern Nix and Charlie Ellerbe on electric guitars, and drummers Denardo Coleman and Ronald Shannon Jackson comprise the first Prime Time band heard here. They are loud, boisterous, imaginative, unfettered by conventional devices, and wail beyond compare with Coleman within relatively funky, straight beats. "Voice Poetry" sets the tone, a boogaloo funk with an unmistakable kinship to the churning Bo Diddley beat, with Coleman's obtuse alto sax between the guitarists' obtuse castings creating intense, passionate, and obsessed music. Where "Home Grown" uses the same wall-rattling sound within repeated lines, there are dense and bulky layers embedded deeply in the thick rhythms. Fans of Coleman will relate more to "Macho Woman," which spurs on a sound similar to his style from years past, as the brief melody gives way to solos. "Fou Amour" is a soulful, off-minor, bitter ballad, while "European Echoes" is a militaristic waltz -- hardly a traipse through flowers -- with various free sections. As every track is different, Coleman's vision has a diffuse focus, but it's clear that things have changed. Even his personal sound is more pronounced, unleashed from shackles, and more difficult to pin down. Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     Voice Poetry 8'10
Ornette Coleman
2     Home Grown 7'47
Ornette Coleman
3     Macho Woman 7'43
Ornette Coleman
4     Fou Amour 8'36
Ornette Coleman
5     European Echoes 9'39
Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Producer – Ornette Coleman
Bass – Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Drums – Ronald Shannon Jackson
Guitar – Bern Nix, Charlie Ellerbe

ORNETTE - Soapsuds, Soapsuds (1978) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 This unusual album found Coleman taking time off from his electric free funk group, Prime Time, to record acoustic duets with his longtime associate, bassist Charlie Haden. Coleman switches to tenor and trumpet for the challenging music which includes three of his originals, Haden's "Human Being" and oddly enough, the theme from the TV show Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Haden, who had proved to be the perfect bassist for the original Ornette Coleman Quartet (who else could have filled his shoes in 1959?), is the equal of Coleman on this 1996 reissue CD, inspiring the saxophonist to play near his peak. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman 7:45
Ornette Coleman
2     Human Being 7:49
Ornette Coleman / Charlie Haden
3     Soap Suds 5:17
Ornette Coleman
4     Sex Spy 9:59
Ornette Coleman
5     Some Day 7:34
Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Bass – Charlie Haden
Tenor Saxophone, Trumpet – Ornette Coleman

ORNETTE COLEMAN & PRIME TIME - Tone Dialing (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ornette Coleman's first album in several years and first recording for a major label in quite some time features his 1995 version of Prime Time with two guitars, two bassists, son Denardo Coleman on drums and Badal Roy on tables and percussion. In addition the band includes Dave Bryant, Coleman's first keyboardist in decades (although his part is actually fairly minor). The ensembles are funky and quite dense, Coleman really wails on alto (also playing a bit of violin and trumpet) and, despite the inclusion of one obnoxious rap, this free funk set is well worth picking up by open-minded listeners. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Street Blues 4'58
Ornette Coleman
2     Search for Life 7'32
Ornette Coleman
3     Guadalupe 4'10
Ornette Coleman
4     Bach Prelude 5'40
Johann Sebastian Bach
5     Sound Is Everywhere 3'34
Ornette Coleman
6     Miguel's Fortune 6'04
Ornette Coleman
7     La Capella 4'32
Ornette Coleman
8     O.A.C. 3'47
Ornette Coleman
9     If I Knew as Much About You (As You Know About Me) 2'36
Ornette Coleman
10     When Will I See You Again 2'46
Ornette Coleman
11    Kathelin Gray  4'41
Ornette Coleman / Pat Metheny
12     Badal 4'42
Ornette Coleman
13     Tone Dialing 1'45
Ornette Coleman
14     Family Reunion 4'07
Ornette Coleman
15     Local Instinct 2'56
Ornette Coleman
16     Ying Yang 2'56
Ornette Coleman
Credits :    
Acoustic Bass – Bradley Jones
Arranged By – Ornette Coleman
Bass, Keyboards – Chris Walker (tracks: 2)
Electric Bass – Al McDowell
Guitar – Chris Rosenberg, Ken Wessel
Keyboards – Dave Bryant
Lyrics By [Poem Written By] – Ornette Coleman (tracks: 2)
Saxophone, Violin, Trumpet – Ornette Coleman
Tabla [Tablas], Percussion [Percussions] – Badal Roy
Vocals – Moishe Naim (tracks: 2)
Vocals, Written-By [Rhyme Written By] – Avenda "Khadijah" Ali (tracks: 2)

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