

Ornette Coleman Has Died - banjomonster
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/arts/music/ornette-coleman-jazz-saxophonist-dies-at-85-obituary.html

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beat
This one struck me hardest yesterday. Long ago, when I discovered Ornette
Coleman, I listened to nothing but "The Shape of Jazz to Come" nonstop for
three weeks straight, just trying to wrap my head around what he was doing
with the rough unisons and blurry pitch. It deeply affected me as a musician -
my guitar playing today is still full of microtonal pitch bends and hard-
swinging rhythmic variation in melody lines.

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anilgulecha
Put this on in the background: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbt9DDolcag

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danieldk
And let's not forget that he made many great albums after 'Free Jazz' and 'The
Shape of Jazz to Come':

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPWFIuuntE4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPWFIuuntE4)

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tragic
Science Fiction is a great, great record - really good entry point for the
avant jazz scene.

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ablation
Absolutely. A fantastic album, especially for the fantastic double-stop bass
playing.

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eblume
Hermann Zapf, Sir Christopher Lee, and Ornette Coleman all in one day. A dark
day. Rest in peace.

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Argorak
Strictly speaking, only the announcements where all on the same day: Zapf died
on the 4th, aged 92, Lee on the 7th, aged 93, Coleman on the 11th, aged 85.

I wouldn't call it a dark day. All lived a long and varied life and their
passing doesn't come unexpected.

I saw Coleman live a few years ago an Enjoy Jazz in Mannheim and I was
impressed of the force he still had on stage at his advanced age. It really
felt like this was the place he belonged to.

EDIT: (a typo)

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danieldk
_I wouldn 't call it a dark day. All lived a long and varied life and their
passing doesn't come unexpected.

I saw Coleman live a few years ago an Enjoy Jazz in Mannheim and I was
impressed of the force he still had on stage at his advanced age. It really
felt like this was the please he belonged to._

Indeed. At that age, it's expected that it will happen sometime. Since I was
born far after the sixties, but love that period in jazz, I try to see as many
musicians of that period/generation as possible.

I am very happy/fortunate to have seen him at North Sea Jazz 2010. It was
great and powerful. He was also scheduled for Jazz Middelheim 2012, but
unfortunately had to cancel at the last moment. One of my other favorites,
John Zorn, aptly filled the spot (since there definitely is a Coleman heritage
in Spy vs. Spy, Naked City, Masada, etc.).

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beat
Naked City covered "Lonely Woman". That was a really interesting take. Fred
Frith on bass played the "Pretty Woman" bassline that is earwormed into all
our brains.

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mahmud
Another one off to the eternal jam session. RIP.

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baldfat
I am trying to think of who is left of Jazz's "Golden Age" of the late 50s and
early 60s that is still with us?

I grew up knowing my Grandfather was a Jazz Band Leader in NYC (He only had
one recording and the last copy got destroyed decades before) and sadly he
died when I was 7 so I didn't get to grow up to listen to his stories except
through my mom and grandmother. He hated Charlie Parker and Billy Holiday, I
think it was their drug use and being rude I was told. He did love Colman
Hawkins and Dizzy.

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theOnliest
Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Herbie Hancock (a little younger),
Chick Corea (noted Scientologist), just to name a few off the top of my head.
All of them are still playing fairly regularly, too.

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mtalantikite
Don't forget Roy Haynes

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theOnliest
Plus Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, and Ahmad Jamal! (Can't believe I left them
off the first time.)

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known
RIP, Sir;

