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Ornette Coleman ( Warning : Contains Jazz)
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FifePsy
FifePsy
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Re: Harmolodics
Feb 23, 2011, 11:53
IanB wrote:
dave clarkson wrote:
I remember reading articles about Coleman in jazz mags (Wire etc) and the theory of harmolodics. I never quite grasped the concept until I saw Prime Time in Manchester in 1988 and suddenly realised that they all seemed to solo at the same time weaving in and out of each others sound.

Been thinking about this in the last few days and whether this was the inspiration for the fast show 'jazz club' sketches especially the sketch with the 'James Nance quartet' with 'Clam' on bass. They sound remarkably like Prime Time from that period... Nice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfo-c-5pf5k

Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society are not too far away from that sound too.

8)


Have a bit of a soft spot for "Are You Glad To Be In America?" and records from around that time but the everyone solos all the time thing is basically rocked-up Dixieland with, in some cases, a bit of 12 tone theory built on to it. It's basically Free Jazz with a firmer relationship to the core melodic line and usually a stricter rhythm than Free players would normally tolerate. So not based on chords or modes as such and leaning a lot more towards 4/4 and other standard time sigs. Not a bad thing itself but Ornette never really nailed down what Harmolodics are beyond that which kind of backs up my Dixieland goes electric theory.


It has been mentioned a few times that Ornette has a harmolodic text in preparation but never seen any hint of it being published. In some interviews he has likened it to trying to resolve improvisational freedom with the discipline demanded by the groove which tends to be anchored by the drums/percussion. I like the electric Dixie analogy. Solid groove, initial head then everyone for themselves!

Think it is also informed by his idea of sound/music as a higher, unifying force, beyond language.
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