Dancing In Your Head
Hey, wanna stir up your pets? Play them Ornette Coleman's Dancing In Your Head, his 1975 release featuring his harmolodic group, Prime Time, and the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Right at this moment as I'm playing this stimulating, unnerving ritual funk, Heather the cat has awoken from her late afternoon stupor and is rubbing her face against The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. She meows at me, "This music makes me feel like I'm going to cough up a hairball-- or worse." "Do your worst, Princess," I reply. "You know I will," she says. Probably at six in the morning.
Earlier today, I pressed Heather's patience with Ornette's New York Is Now! It's Ornette and Dewey Redman plus the classic Coltrane rhythm section of Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Not a bad recording, but the quartet fails to really catch fire. Garrison and Jones don't lock in to Ornette the way they did with their recently departed leader (this recording was made in 1968). The rhythm section of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins (or Ed Blackwell) is sorely missed. Still, an interesting experiment in gutbucket r&b free jazz.
I believe that Feline Americans, such as Heather, are inclined more toward the music of Duke Ellington than Ornette Coleman. It's hard to imagine any cat, dog or mouse not being fond of Ellington's tribute to his departed musical soulmate, Billy Strayhorn, ...and his mother called him Bill. Recorded in the summer and fall of 1967, not long after "Sweet Pea" had passed away, this is a swinging and moving testimony to the compositions of the man. The band sounds fully engaged, moved by the passions that Strayhorn stirred up in his rich compositions. The most devastating performance is Johnny Hodges' deeply-felt alto cries on Strayhorn's final composition, Blood Count (he was working right up until the end). It just kills you to listen to it. Also wonderful is Hodges' moody interpretation of Day-Dream, a personal tribute from the Rabbit, as this Strayhorn tune was designed especially for him back in '41.
This morning I rolled out of bed and put on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane's collaboration from 1962. Not quite as wild as the Money Jungle album, but a nice listen. Supposedly Trane was having trouble with his mouthpiece at the time, so he's not blowing like crazy. Not surprisingly then, the two best tunes are the ballads, In a Sentimental Mood and My Little Brown Book. As I recall, my oft-mentioned jazz teacher, Grover Sales, locked us in his classroom and made us stay late (with the lights off) so that we could listen to the moody majesty of Duke and Trane playing In a Sentimental Mood. It was breathtaking, and I was Brainwashed For Life.
Earlier today, I pressed Heather's patience with Ornette's New York Is Now! It's Ornette and Dewey Redman plus the classic Coltrane rhythm section of Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Not a bad recording, but the quartet fails to really catch fire. Garrison and Jones don't lock in to Ornette the way they did with their recently departed leader (this recording was made in 1968). The rhythm section of Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins (or Ed Blackwell) is sorely missed. Still, an interesting experiment in gutbucket r&b free jazz.
I believe that Feline Americans, such as Heather, are inclined more toward the music of Duke Ellington than Ornette Coleman. It's hard to imagine any cat, dog or mouse not being fond of Ellington's tribute to his departed musical soulmate, Billy Strayhorn, ...and his mother called him Bill. Recorded in the summer and fall of 1967, not long after "Sweet Pea" had passed away, this is a swinging and moving testimony to the compositions of the man. The band sounds fully engaged, moved by the passions that Strayhorn stirred up in his rich compositions. The most devastating performance is Johnny Hodges' deeply-felt alto cries on Strayhorn's final composition, Blood Count (he was working right up until the end). It just kills you to listen to it. Also wonderful is Hodges' moody interpretation of Day-Dream, a personal tribute from the Rabbit, as this Strayhorn tune was designed especially for him back in '41.
This morning I rolled out of bed and put on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane's collaboration from 1962. Not quite as wild as the Money Jungle album, but a nice listen. Supposedly Trane was having trouble with his mouthpiece at the time, so he's not blowing like crazy. Not surprisingly then, the two best tunes are the ballads, In a Sentimental Mood and My Little Brown Book. As I recall, my oft-mentioned jazz teacher, Grover Sales, locked us in his classroom and made us stay late (with the lights off) so that we could listen to the moody majesty of Duke and Trane playing In a Sentimental Mood. It was breathtaking, and I was Brainwashed For Life.
posted by ken at 6:34 PM
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