Sound Grammar
by Ornette Coleman
Fifty years after he astonished the musical world with his initial recorded forays into free jazz, Ornette Coleman remains astounding. Sound Grammar introduces his so-called two-bass band, a quartet featuring son Denardo on percussion and Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen on acoustic bass. The unusual combination works spectacularly well, as displayed on this fervent live album. Now in his 70s, Coleman has lost little in terms of instrumental prowess on his customary alto saxophone (his occasional trumpet and violin remain as attractively flinty as ever); his utterly distinctive writing still stands heads above both his peers and even the most inventive of jazz's younger generations. Coleman's ace in the hole has always been his combustible mixture of the aggressive and the lyrical. Where, say, "Jordan," and "Song X" roil and slash, the gorgeous ballad "Sleep Talking" and the easy-grooving blues "Turnaround" speak in poetic tongues. If Coleman naturally dominates the proceedings with his riveting horn, his compatriots provide proactive interplay whose fascinating tonal qualities (Falanga's bowed bass against Cohen's pizzicato) add layers of bracing texture. Coleman has been shaking things up since he first made himself known, and Sound Grammar sends the message that he doesn't intend to quit stirring up action anytime soon. --Steve Futterman
