Ornette Coleman - At The "Golden Circle" Stockholm: Volume 1 (180 Gram Vinyl, Blue Note Poet Series)

180 GRAM AUDIPHILE VINYL • MASTERED BY KEVIN GRAY AT COHEARENT AUDIO Primal subversion of the most delicious kind was in the air when alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman introduced his latest chapter of “the new jazz” in December 1965 at Stockholm’s Golden Circle (Gyllene Cirkeln) club. In tow was the trio he had been exploring new soundscapes with in the past year: virtuoso bassist David Izenzon, equally adept playing arco and pizzicato, and simpatico drummer Charles Moffett, shining with his textured cymbals and spanking rimshots. On At the Golden Circle, Volume One, Ornette and Co. are in topdrawer form. Writing in the liner notes of the 2002 Blue Note RVG CD reissue of the album, John Litweiler, author of the book Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life, calls the album “extraordinary,” adding that “the sheer creativity of Ornette Coleman’s improvising here would be miraculous at any time in jazz history; moreover, even by his own high standards, he made some of the finest music of his recording career at the Golden Circle.” Comprising four Coleman originals, Volume One opens with the emcee introducing the trio and Ornette shyly replying, “We’ve so enjoyed ourselves here and hope everyone else has also.” He then whips into the brisk dance “Faces and Places,” which features his ebullient alto whimsy. It’s an expansive song of joy, taken at bop speed, flowing with a bouncy lyricism and heightened by his high-pitched wails. Coleman’s improvisational enthusiasm continues on “European Echoes,” a track of simultaneous group improvisations that starts off as an off-kilter waltz. He toots the tune in a catchy—and unusual—calliope-like style.

TRACKS: SIDE A A1 Faces And Places A2 European Echoes SIDE B B1 Dee Dee B2 Dawn