Change Of The Century

CHANGE OF THE CENTURY is a hell of an album. It was recorded in 1959, but sounds as fresh and interesting today as it did then. Ornette Coleman's great quartet, with Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden and Don Cherry, are at the height of their powers.

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CHANGE OF THE CENTURY is a hell of an album. It was recorded in 1959, but sounds as fresh and interesting today as it did then. Ornette Coleman's great quartet, with Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden and Don Cherry, are at the height of their powers.
In the original liner notes Ornette says, "I don't tell the members of my group what to do. I want them to play what they hear in the piece for themselves". What they hear in the pieces is sometimes astounding.
On "Ramblin'", a blues of sorts, after solos by Coleman and Cherry, the listener is expecting a drum solo. Instead, Billy Higgins taps out a simple swing rhythm on what sounds like his cymbal stand. Charlie Haden then digs into some deep, deep blues that carry echoes of Appalachian music, rockabilly, and who knows what else. It's unearthly.
The absence of a piano allows the listener to hear every bass note, every drum fill, and they're all worth hearing. In "Free", Don Cherry's pocket trumpet outlines wild shapes and ideas. And in "Face of the Bass", Ornette's plastic alto sax solo bypasses the mind and becomes a visceral experience. The music is truly fresh.

Down Beat (1960)
- 4 Stars - Very Good - "...this music is part of the general revolt against the bop cliche...it marks the turning point away from the ultimate extension of swing into bop and is another indication of possible new directions for part of jazz to take..."

Musician (9/92, p.108)
- "...joyous...This music is as natural as a spoken word..."