Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation
Occupation
- Alto Saxophone: Ornette Coleman (left channel)
- Bass Clarinet: Eric Dolphy (right channel)
- Trumpet: Don Cherry (left channel)
- Trumpet: Freddie Hubbard (right channel)
- Bass: Charlie Haden (right channel)
- Bass: Scott LaFaro (left channel)
- Drums: Ed Blackwell ( right channel)
- Drums: Billy Higgins (left channel)
Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation is a jazz album by Ornette Coleman, after ultimately an entire genre of jazz, free jazz was named. The album was recorded City on December 21, 1960 by Tom Dowd in New York and published in 1961 by Atlantic Records.
Concept of plate
On the album, a double quartet plays the music Colemans: Each of the two quartets with woodwinds, trumpet, bass and drums was thereby assigned to one of the stereo channels. The composition was a six-part suite with collective improvisations, organized by thematic insets in the form of short, partially fanfare- like unison themes or clusters of wind over long distances on a shuffle rhythm based, which played the doubled rhythm section. Function harmonic bonds are canceled. The principle of largely free improvisation gave the musicians a lot of freedom to independently implement their ideas and feelings. Phases in which all the musicians played together, alternated with solo sequences in which the corresponding musicians entered on previous designs or even could bring in a new topic, while the other musicians on the subject of the solo -oriented and this annotated or paused: " the most important thing was for us to play together, all at the same time without each other to come in our way, and also at will to have enough room for each player - and to follow this idea for the duration of the album. If the soloist played something that inspired me to a musical idea or orientation, I played this in my style behind it. He led course his solo in his style continued. "When the wind soloists first came to the series, then ( as a duo ), the two bass players and two drummers. The composition was - what was previously no one had dared - on both sides of the LP.
The album was recorded contiguously on 21 December 1960. Directly before the band recorded a first take, but this was not posted on the board.
Pieces
Analysis
Peter Niklas Wilson pointed out in his analysis of the piece, that some of the later conquered in free jazz hierarchies still exist: on the one hand, there is a classic rhythm section with a " primer function of bass and drums ." Also, the band leader is in the design of the piece privileged: " The leader Ornette Coleman is a nearly ten -minute solo conceded, the other three horns and the two bassists four to five minutes, while the drummer must be content with each just a minute."
Due to the traditional role assignment of the instruments, the bass player and the drummer can beyond their solos " hardly ever put the once established tempo in question, as they also play non-stop, a priori is a certain level of density and attractiveness, only in the course of the play will not vary much. " but a " dramaturgy of tension and relaxation "So the piece is missing despite a " wealth of exciting details. " Ultimately, it is " more of a big sound condition as a detailed sound process ", but" still a fascinating piece. "
Effect
With the album, whose cover graced the reproduction of a painting by Jackson Pollock (The White Light, 1954), Coleman broke new ground. According followed the publication (Atlantic LP 1364 ) in September 1961 " much controversy and misunderstanding ." For example, John Tynan wrote a Totalverriss for the downbeat: "collective improvisation? Mischief. The only collectivity is that these eight nihilists are started at the same time in the same studio with the same goal. Destroying the music to which they owe their existence "
Also a part of the proponents had problems understanding the dawn of a new way of making music: " The planned through disc was so confusing that they had to serve to excuse non-scheduled Losmusizieren. One of the greatest jazz misunderstandings. "Maybe unfolded the album jazz historically also have an effect as a blueprint, according to the later more plates of free jazz were recorded with groups of medium size such as John Coltrane's Ascension and Peter Brötzmann's Machine Gun.
From the historical distance now appears the plate rated the All Music Guide with 5 stars, but less than an " acoustic cluster bomb ", but far more as a modern classic: " Not the Way to the chaos was planned here, but a (one- ) attempt to dismiss the polyphony in freedom, "was the verdict in 2006 Konrad Heidkamp. Ultimately, the board acted as a "manifesto of Traditionsaufweichung that had not destruction, but expansion of the language of sound in mind. "
The music magazine Jazzwise recorded the album in the list The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World; Keith Shadwick wrote: