Ornette at Twelve: A Quieter Coleman
A lesser-known Coleman session that rewards listeners willing to follow its loose, wandering lines.
Ornette at 12 came out on Impulse! in 1969, and it did not land with much fanfare. Coleman's reputation by then rested on his late-1950s records and the controversy that followed him, so a late-period release on a major label mostly passed under the radar. Reviews were mixed to lukewarm. AllMusic reviewer Brian Olewnick gave it three stars, and his advice was simple: don't be put off by the critics, because this is a fine, enjoyable album. That is about where its reputation has stayed, a record more often rediscovered by committed listeners than celebrated as a landmark.
Musically, the album sits in the band-based, open-form territory Coleman kept returning to. The personnel includes Charlie Haden on double bass, Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone, and Denardo Coleman on drums, alongside Coleman himself on alto, trumpet, and violin. The writing and playing stay loose without drifting into formlessness, and the interplay between Coleman and Redman gives the ensemble passages a grit that is easy to enjoy even when the harmonic ground feels unstable.
For someone new to Coleman, this is not the place to start. The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) and Free Jazz (1961) do the foundational work, and this album makes more sense afterward. Its value is in seeing how Coleman kept working the same ideas in a looser, more relaxed setting.
Who's playing
Charlie Hadendouble bass
Ornette Colemanalto saxophone, trumpet, violin
Dewey Redmantenor saxophone
Denardo Colemanmembranophone
Where next?
More by Ornette Coleman
The Shape of Jazz to Come 1959
New York Is Now 1968
Something Else!!!! The Music of Ornette Coleman
Change of the Century 1960
The musicians on this record
Liberation Music Orchestra 1970
Charlie Haden
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
Tarik 1970
Dewey Redman
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
