[Dixielandjazz] Ornette Coleman (was Tenor Sax List)

[Steve Barbone]

Dear Bill

Reason I remember is that Coleman was playing at the Five Spot in NYC and I
frequented that place when not gigging. I got to know him and bassist
Charlie Haydn fairly well.

Coleman was VERY proud of the Tenor Album which he had just released and
talked with me about it right at the time I met Martha, my wife and started
taking her to the Five Spot. I bought the album and he signed it. Later gave
it away to a Tenor wannabe as I am neither a collector, nor a great fan of
his music. I could date it fairly accurately as Martha & I were married a
year later.

Having an open mind like many musicians, I went to see/hear all the new idea
guys out there from Ornette Coleman to Coltrane, Monk, Archie Shepp, Roswell
Rudd, Charlie Haydn, etc. As well as Pee Wee Russell and Stan Kenton. <grin>

Other than that, I would have forgotten it. He also spoke of his Blues roots
and how he originally switched from tenor to alto, saying it occurred about
10 years ago so I could date that to 1950 or so, if he was correct.

Cheers,
Steve


on 9/24/07 6:48 PM, Bill Haesler at bhaesler at bigpond.net.au wrote:

> Steve Barbone wrote [in part]: ...........but do know that Ornette
> Coleman did indeed play tenor as well as alto.......He went back to
> Tenor on occasion, recording on Tenor in 1961 for Atlantic records (I
> think it was Atlantic, memory is suspect).
> 
> Good memory Steve,
> Not MKOM but I believe that that would have been the Atlantic LP album
> called 'Ornette on Tenor' with  Don Cherry, pocket cornet; Ornette
> Coleman, ts; Jimmy Garrison, b; Ed Blackwell, d).
> Recorded in New York on 27th March 1961.
> Atlantic reissued it on a now out-of-print CD.
> Kind regards,
> Bill ( who hopes his OKOM reputation has not been tarnished in anyway).
>