This Is Our Music
Never has a title been more accurate than the Ornette Coleman Quartet'sThis Is Our Music. With Coleman in the lead, the legendary quartet (which also included bassistCharlie Haden, trumpeterDon Cherry, and drummer Ed Blackwell) literally created a new "harmolodic" jazz language that destroyed popular conventions of harmony, melody, and rhythm. It's an accepted concept that Coleman still uses today, but it was never more controversial than when the band cut this music in 1960. Even though Coleman fans can find the material that made up this album on Rhino'sBeauty Is a Rare Thingbox set, this is the first time that the original landmark album is available domestically on CD in its original format. Unfortunately, there is no new deluxe packaging or additional material, but the music has been remastered to give this album its best production values ever. Released on the Sepia-Tone archive label, this reasonably priced reissue is required listening for any fan of adventurous jazz.--Tad Hendrickson