Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ornette Coleman: Sound Grammar

269

Ornette Coleman: Sound Grammar

By

Sign in to view read count
Ornette Coleman: Sound Grammar
It's been a decade since the last bounty of Ornette recordings. 1995-96 saw releases from his free-funk mélange Prime Time; a robust quartet with pianist Geri Allen and bassist Charnett Moffett; and duets with pianist Joachim Kühn, a German free music architect. Indeed, the past three decades have seen an inordinate amount of change for Coleman's groups, and though the fundamentals of his music may remain basically untouched, their aesthetic presence and reach seemed, for a while, to be apples in the next orchard. So it might seem somewhat surprising to see a format Ornette used in the late '60s and early '70s returning on Sound Grammar — his own alto, violin and trumpet, two contrabassists (one exclusively arco, one exclusively pizzicato), and percussion.

Recorded live in concert in Ludwigshafen, Germany in October 2005, Ornette is joined by his regular partner, drummer Denardo Coleman (looks like the "airmail express has worked to both their advantage), and bassists Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen. They perform eight originals, including two classics, "Turnaround and "Song X. From "Lonely Woman onward, Ornette Coleman has certainly shown a preoccupation with time; pluralities of tempo place creative activity firmly in the direct present, rather than moving toward resolution, making one hyper-aware of oneself in the eternal now (to reference Don Cherry).

An example of this aural "presentness" is Ornette's use of two bassists in subtle opposition to one another, one bowing dusky horn-like lines in melodic conversation with his alto or playing dervish-like underneath, the other turning rhythmic anchor into melody. Falanga and Cohen are somewhat reminiscent of the David Izenzon/Charlie Haden duo that Coleman employed ca. 1968-70. Like Falanga, Izenzon was a classically-trained bassist who tended to stick to the high register, bowing contrapuntal lines somewhere between Coleman's trilling vocalizations and the unrelenting drum choruses.

As Free Jazz was a double quartet, Sound Grammar is in a sense a double duet. Ornette and Falanga stitch a discourse of joy and sorrow, keening poems of timeless cries and ebullient child-song, as Cohen and Denardo swirl about, dissecting galloping funk into sea-swells of contrasting rhythm. But as with Jackson Pollock, an overlapping of gestures and contrasting lines creates its own rhythmic flow; what at first may seem a visual assault becomes a meditation on action and experience. Ornette Coleman is a master at feeding collectivity and plurality—grammar and language, after all, never result from the one, but from the many.

Track Listing

Intro; Jordan; Sleep Talking; Turnaround; Matador; Waiting for You; Call to Duty; Once Only; Song X.

Personnel

Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto

Ornette Coleman: alto saxophone, violin, trumpet; Denardo Coleman: drums; Gregory Cohen: bass; Tony Falanga: bass

Album information

Title: Sound Grammar | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Sound Grammar

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.