Free Jazz - Plak

ENGLISH

The term 'free jazz' already existed - but it had a completely different meaning, namely jazz without paying admission. The album 'Free Jazz', on the other hand, was to give its name to a completely different kind of jazz. 'Free' playing - that now meant that one was not bound by conventions, but could give free rein to one's imagination. Free jazz gave one the opportunity to find new rules for each new composition. And it was to become the greatest surge of innovation in the world of jazz. Ornette Coleman's December 1960 album stands like a massive portal at the beginning of the free jazz era.

Coleman thought big: he brought two quartets into the studio at the same time, both with two wind instruments and no piano, and had them play together for 36 minutes without a break - a collective improvisation. There are no exact themes, but there are short, fanfare-like motifs in which the wind instruments come together. The music is almost universally based on a dense rhythmic beat - and the pulse can be felt rather than heard. One musician after another comes to the fore and improvises, almost like a jam session. First Coleman, then Dolphy, then the two trumpeters. But the other wind players are never silent, making comments and supporting each other - the energy level is immense all the time (it was cold in the studio ...). Only when it's the bassists' and drummers' turn do the horns remain silent for about eleven minutes. This album is not only a historical caesura, but always a great experience.

This Speakers Corner LP was remastered exclusively with pure analog components from the master tapes to the cutting head.