Ornette Coleman’s Contemporary Albums

Original cover of the first of the two albums being discussed (courtesy of DL Media)

This year Craft Recordings is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Contemporary Records. The label was founded in 1951 by Lester Koenig; and, like other recent events, the celebration had to be delayed due to COVID-19. Koenig was one of those intellectuals that managed to succeed in Hollywood, working as a screenwriter, a producer, and assistant to William Wyler. His film credits include The Best Years of Our Lives, Detective Story, and Roman Holiday.

Unfortunately, by refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee, he was blacklisted in Hollywood for his left-wing sympathies. As a result, he shifted his attention to jazz, focusing on a variety of artists that tended to get dismissed by the general public for being too cerebral. One of those artists was saxophonist Ornette Coleman, whose sharp edges tended to turn away the general public, which had grown suspicious of “modern jazz."

Under Koenig’s supervision, Coleman recorded two albums on Contemporary, Something Else!!!!: The Music of Ornette Coleman and Tomorrow Is the Question!: The New Music of Ornette Coleman. This coming Friday Craft will release a two-CD box set of these albums under the title Genesis Of Genius. As usual, Amazon.com is currently processing pre-orders of this release, which is likely to appeal to those that like their jazz on the adventurous side.

On both of the albums, Coleman shares the front line with trumpeter Don Cherry, whose edges were as sharp as Coleman’s. Furthermore, both of them had the technique to belt out passages at a breakneck pace, even when they required wide intervallic leaps. It is no wonder that those preferring “easy listening” were quick to dismiss both musicians as lunatics. However, those that listen attentively to these two albums, as well as the recordings the two of them made for Atlantic, will come to appreciate that there is more method than madness in their performance of both charts and improvisations.

Each album has a different rhythm section. Something Else!!!! has Walter Norris on piano, playing with Don Payne on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. On the other hand there is no piano on Tomorrow is the Question!. Shelly Manne is the drummer, and each side of the original vinyl had a different bass player. Percy Heath played bass for the first six tracks, while Red Mitchell picked up the last three.

The Atlantic anthology, Beauty Is a Rare Thing, has held a special place in my personal collection. I was in Singapore when it was released by Rhino Records in 1993, but I made it a point to catch up after I moved to Palo Alto in 1995. The intensely adventurous spirit that cuts across the six CDs in that anthology is just as intense on the new Genesis of Genius release. Indeed, because there are only two CDs in that latter issue, the collection may provide a better point of departure for those unfamiliar with all those sharp edges in Coleman’s style. Then, of course, there are those like yours truly, who, having become familiar with Beauty Is a Rare Thing, remained hungry for further Coleman adventures!