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Jazzbühne Berlin '88

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Jazzbühne Berlin '88
Live album by
Ornette Coleman and Prime Time
Released1990
RecordedJune 5, 1988
VenueFriedrichstadt-Palast, Berlin
GenreJazz-funk
Length58:42
LabelRepertoire
RR 4905-C

Jazzbühne Berlin '88 is a live album by Ornette Coleman and his band Prime Time. It was recorded on June 5, 1988, at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin, and was released in 1990 by Repertoire Records as Volume 5 of their Jazz Bühne Berlin / Rundfunk der DDR series.[1][2][3]

According to the album credits, Coleman appears on alto saxophone, trumpet, and vocals, and is joined by guitarists Bern Nix and Charles Ellerbee, bass guitarists Al McDowell and Chris Wilker, and drummers Calvin Weston and Denardo Coleman.[4] However, as per Richard Cook and Brian Morton, authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz, "eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out the inconsistency between the liner photo" taken during the concert, which shows a different band, "and the putative line-up" listed in the sleeve credits.[5] Critic Howard Mandel noted that, by the time of the concert, Prime Time had undergone a shake-up, leaving only a handful of the original members in place.[6] Coleman biographer John Litweiler lists the personnel as Coleman, Chris Rosenberg and Ken Wessel on guitar, Al MacDowell and Chris Walker on bass guitar, Denardo Coleman on drums, and Badal Roy on tablas, which agrees with the proposed lineup suggested by Cook and Morton.[7]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[8]

In a review for AllMusic, Brian Olewnick wrote: "The group's interaction sounds thin and almost routine; little inspiration is heard either in their solos or massed activity... the absence of incredible musicians like Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell and the telepathic interplay they shared with Coleman is a loss that makes itself felt with virtually every note."[1]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated: "this is a messy, congested performance that reduces 'Song X' to adolescent 'heaviness', 'Dancing in Your Head' to drearily repetitive techno-jazz-funk... very much a record for fans of a 'you had to be there' persuasion."[5]

Track listing

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All compositions by Ornette Coleman.

  1. "Song X" – 5:48
  2. "Music News" – 7:22
  3. "Chanting" – 2:40
  4. "Honeymoon" – 5:47
  5. "Realing the Fealing" – 8:01
  6. "Singing in the Shower" – 9:08
  7. "Dancing in Your Head" – 10:05
  8. "Bourgeoise Boogie" – 9:51

Personnel listed in album credits

[edit]

Source:[4]

Correct personnel

[edit]
  • Ornette Coleman – saxophone, trumpet, vocals
  • Chris Rosenberg – guitar
  • Ken Wessel – guitar
  • Al MacDowell – bass guitar
  • Chris Walker – bass guitar
  • Badal Roy – tabla
  • Denardo Coleman – drums

Source:[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Olewnick, Brian. "Ornette Coleman: Jazzbuhne Berlin '88". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Ornette Coleman - Jazzbuhne Berlin '88". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ornette Coleman Discography". JazzDisco.org. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Jazzbühne Berlin '88 (liner notes). Ornette Coleman. Repertoire Records. 1990. RR 4905-C.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b c Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette. Penguin Books. p. 215.
  6. ^ Mandel, Howard (2010). Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz. Taylor & Francis. p. 177.
  7. ^ a b Litweiler, John (1992). Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life. William Morrow. p. 234.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 190.