Ornette! | Ornette Coleman

Ornette! by Ornette Coleman returns to vinyl in Speakers Corner’s reissue of Atlantic SD-1378. The quartet features Ornette Coleman on alto saxophone, Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Scott LaFaro on double bass and Ed Blackwell on drums.

Speakers Corner edition

• Format: 1 LP, 180 g, 33 rpm
• Original label: Atlantic
• Catalogue number: SD-1378
• Reissue: Speakers Corner Records
• Reissue release date: September 15, 2025
• Process: Pure Analogue, using analogue components from the master tapes through to the cutting head

The album

Recorded in January 1961, shortly after Free Jazz, Ornette! documents a new phase in Coleman’s quartet. It was the first recording to bring Ornette Coleman and Scott LaFaro together: the bass takes on an especially mobile, conversational role, while Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell further expand the space for collective improvisation.

The five compositions combine open structures with concise themes that become starting points for interplay that is free yet highly controlled. It is a key document from Coleman’s Atlantic period, presented here according to Speakers Corner’s analogue philosophy.

Musicians

• Ornette Coleman — alto saxophone
• Don Cherry — pocket trumpet
• Scott LaFaro — double bass
• Ed Blackwell — drums

Recording and production

Recording: January 1961, Atlantic Studios, New York City.
Recording engineer: Tom Dowd.
Production: Nesuhi Ertegun.

Tracklist

1. W.R.U.
2. T. & T.
3. C. & D.
4. R.P.D.D.
5. Proof Readers

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