Ornette Coleman • This Is Our Music

 

 

Review
by Steve Huey  
With two landmark albums already under its belt, the Ornette Coleman Quartet spent nearly a year out of the studio before reconvening for This Is Our Music. This time, Billy Higgins is replaced on drums by Ed Blackwell, who has a similar knack for anticipating the ensemble's direction, and proves a more fiery presence on tracks like "Kaleidoscope" and "Folk Tale." The session is also notable for containing the only standard (or, for that matter, the only non-original) Coleman recorded during his tenure with Atlantic -- Gershwin's "Embraceable You," which is given a lyrical interpretation and even a rather old-time, sentimental intro (which may or may not be sarcastic, but really is pretty). In general, though, Coleman disapproved of giving up his own voice and viewed standards as concessions to popular taste; as the unapologetic title of the album makes clear, he wanted to be taken (or left) on his own terms. And that word "our" also makes clear just how important the concept of group improvisation was to Coleman's goals. Anyone can improvise whenever he feels like it, and the players share such empathy that each knows how to add to the feeling of the ensemble without undermining its egalitarian sense of give and take. Their stark, thin textures were highly distinctive, and both Coleman and Cherry chose instruments (respectively, an alto made of plastic rather than brass and a pocket trumpet or cornet instead of a standard trumpet) to accentuate that quality. It's all showcased to best effect here on the hard-swinging "Blues Connotation" and the haunting "Beauty Is a Rare Thing," though pretty much every composition has something to recommend it. All in all, This Is Our Music keeps one of the hottest creative streaks in jazz history going strong.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-our-music-mw0000529299

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Reseña
por Steve Huey  
Con dos álbumes de referencia ya en su haber, el Ornette Coleman Quartet pasó casi un año fuera del estudio antes de volver a reunirse para This Is Our Music. Esta vez, Billy Higgins es reemplazado en la batería por Ed Blackwell, que tiene una habilidad similar para anticipar la dirección del conjunto, y demuestra una presencia más ardiente en temas como "Kaleidoscope" y "Folk Tale". La sesión también es notable por contener el único estándar (o, para el caso, el único no-original) que Coleman grabó durante su permanencia con Atlantic -- "Embraceable You" de Gershwin, al que se le da una interpretación lírica e incluso una introducción sentimental bastante antigua (que puede o no ser sarcástica, pero realmente es bonita). En general, sin embargo, Coleman desaprobaba renunciar a su propia voz y veía los estándares como concesiones al gusto popular; como deja claro el título del álbum, que no pide disculpas, él quería que le tomaran (o le dejaran) en sus propios términos. Y esa palabra "nuestro" también deja claro lo importante que era el concepto de improvisación en grupo para los objetivos de Coleman. Cualquiera puede improvisar cuando le apetezca, y los músicos comparten tal empatía que cada uno sabe cómo contribuir al sentimiento del conjunto sin socavar su sentido igualitario de dar y recibir. Tanto Coleman como Cherry eligieron instrumentos (una contralto de plástico en lugar de metal y una trompeta de bolsillo o corneta en lugar de una trompeta estándar, respectivamente) para acentuar esa cualidad. Todo ello se pone de manifiesto en la dura "Blues Connotation" y en la inquietante "Beauty Is a Rare Thing", aunque casi todas las composiciones tienen algo que recomendar. En definitiva, This Is Our Music mantiene una de las mejores rachas creativas de la historia del jazz.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-our-music-mw0000529299

Tracks:
1 - Blues Connotation    5:14
2 - Beauty Is A Rare Thing    7:12
3 - Kaleidoscope    6:33
4 - Embraceable You    4:54
5 - Poise    4:37
6 - Humpty Dumpty    5:20
7 - Folk Tale    4:46


Credits:
    Alto Saxophone – Ornette Coleman
    Bass – Charlie Haden
    Drums – Ed Blackwell
    Supervised By – Nesuhi Ertegun
    Trumpet [Pocket Trumpet] – Don Cherry
    Recording engineers: Tom Dowd & Phil Iehle

Recorded in NYC, July 19, 1960 (1, 3), July 26, 1960 (4, 6) and August 2, 1960 (2, 5, 7)

Label:    Atlantic – SD 1353, Atlantic – SD-1353, Atlantic – ATLANTIC 1353
Country:    US
Released:    1961
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Free Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/release/1942481-The-Ornette-Coleman-Quartet-This-Is-Our-Musi

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