Ornette Coleman – “Invisible” from Something Else!!!! (1958, Contemporary Records)
One of my prized possessions is a jazz LP I bought while still in high school: Thelonious Monk at the Blackhawk. I loved Monk then as now, and found the cover compelling (see below).
Something about that picture — a sweaty Monk with a look of some combination of concentration and consternation on his brow, the faintest glimpse of the color of what looks to be a vibrant red and white striped shirt, the yellow Riverside stripe at the top, the clever fontplay of the title, even the Original Jazz Classics logo at bottom right couldn’t fuck it up.
People talk about 1959 as being a banner year in jazz. Being neither Nat Hentoff nor Orrin Keepnews, I didn’t come here to argue the point. I will say, however, that I find it interesting that this pivotal (for me) Monk record came out in 1960, while Something Else!!!! came out in 1958. Through the magical distance provided by history, I think we can safely fold that all together as being of the same moment.
Oh, and they share a drummer in Billy Higgins, who is someone I think deserves a detour. While maybe not a name known to more casual jazz fans, Higgins recorded eight records as a band leader, and appeared on over 230 records in support of nearly 100 frontpeople. And he got to play on what I deem the best jazz song ever written “‘Round Midnight,” and you can hear him moan and grunt his way through what is an absolutely exquisite and even melodic solo on “Chippie.” And he was only 21 when Something Else!!!! was released, a new force who had only been credited on one album from the year prior, Red Mitchell’s debut album, also on Contemporary Records.
In fact, all the players on Something Else!!!! were young. Higgins, we noted, was 21. So was powerhouse Don Cherry (cornet). Pianist Walter Norris (the last with whom Coleman would record, eschewing piano after this record) was 26. Bassist Don Payne? 25. And the star of the show, Ornette himself, was a whopping 28 years old.
Economists tell us that countries with young populations are full of the promise of economic growth and all the good things that come with that. Or at least I think they tell us that. I couldn’t find anything, and that’s besides the point. Perhaps, and look, I know how corny this is, youth when applied to a jazz combo can be a driver of the shape of jazz to come.
“Invisible” is the first track on this first Ornette record. Again, a record whose title billed itself as being somehow outside of mainstream jazz orthodoxy. Billboard calls the tune “worth hearing” in a review whose brevity might remind some readers of MaximumRockNRoll and the like (and, come to think of it, you know what would have been real fucking punk? MRR reviewing Ornette records. Siri: remind me to visit Tim Yohannan’s grave to lay this gem of an idea on him). Coleman, the review says, “displays a sensitive and interesting modern style; one that is warm and appealing in the current genre.” Those last four words seem an odd addition to me, but Billboard’s not exactly pounding down my door, so I suppose I should be a little humble.
One thing I find interesting about this time period is the fluidity of the label “free jazz,” one that is often associated with Coleman. And sure, that’s no doubt a function of his releasing an album called, let’s face it, Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation two years later. But given the complex melody line that is played in unison by both Coleman and Cherry at the outset while Payne and Norris bang out the changes underneath with Higgins providing an equally complex and complementary rhythmic pattern, well, to my 2023 ears, I’m just not sure how free it really sounds.
And that’s okay. I love free jazz, but neither am I upset when I sit down to listen to Albert Ayler, another titan of the free jazz genre, playing his tune “Ghosts,” the sun-dappled chorus of which sounds like something a New Orleans second line might invent after listening to Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas.”
Wikipedia and AllMusic both assign the moniker “free jazz” to Something Else!!!!, and while it’s not as though there is not rich improvisation throughout (with Coleman leading the charge), it still feels highly crafted and composed overall. Importantly I’d like to once again point out that this is not a complaint — I love this song and the album that it kicks off.
And if I could, I’d love to tell you another thing I really love: writing this blog for the half-dozen of you. I have learned so much about this album and its context and personnel through the process of writing this post, and it’s a real joy. Hopefully that comes through.
The Shuffler 