ORG Music - ORGM-1093 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl 

All Analoigue Mastered By Bernie Grundman - Atlantic 1353

The recording has moments that will drop the jaw and the soundstage is pretty consistent throughout; Blackwell is pushed back and Haden’s bass doesn’t intrude into Coleman’s space, which is pretty much in your lap depending on your system. Coleman’s Grafton plastic alto sax had a very distinctive vibe (also used by Charlie Parker who pawned his brass sax to pay for heroin) and the recording conveys the tone with great bite.The 45RPM vinyl reissue is a treasure and a worthy addition to any music collection for the performance alone. The sound quality is just gravy. Pure thick beef gravy on a homemade biscuit. - Audiophile Review

 

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.

The album features Coleman on alto, Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums. “All in all, This Is Our Music keeps one of the hottest creative streaks in jazz history going strong” (AllMusic).

 

Originally released in 1961, This Is Our Music marked Coleman's third release for Atlantic and it is certainly one of his finest. The word "Our" in the title is an important one. The coehsion of the musicians on this record is remarkable. This is an egalitarian effort, and each one of the group's members is able to emphasise perfectly with any improvisation.

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.

 

This essential edition of Coleman’s fifth album was mastered from original analog tapes at 45RPM by Bernie Grundman, pressed on two 180gram LPs, and is housed in an old school style Stoughton case-wrapped gatefold jacket.

 

 

Ornette Coleman, alto sax

Don Cherry, trumpet

Charlie Haden, bass

Ed Blackwell, drums

 

Selections:

1. Blues Connotation

2. Beauty Is A Rare Thing

3. Kaleidoscope

4. Embraceable You

5. Poise

6. Humpty Dumpty

7. Folk Tale