Facing the same door after intermission, I saw one of the coolest cats stroll through. With cheers, applause, love and happiness, Mr. Ornette Coleman waltzed in with a blue suit, a lid with pork and pie and a smile that said; Hello, thank you very much, my name is Ornette Coleman and I came to play! Maybe there were many who shared my sentiment for the underdog avant guard jazz musician. Responsible for creations with the drive and tenacity to make people either frown, smile or ponder, “Where in life does this music fit for me?” Well, if your ears are open, there is a path that leads straight to the heart. From the first note, the statements were made and court was in session. Judgment day: Kerry, Bush or Ornette Coleman. You remember the feeling you had earlier this month when you did not know what would happen. Today, Ornette was on the podium and he communicated with fire and desire for the music to be heard. This was such a total contrast from the first set. World be free was the key with lessons and expressions flowing freely from a trilogy of instruments. The warm up is over and the game is ready to begin!
My hope is that everyone had their big ears on because that is a prerequisite for the message of the music. Now, the music was big but, Ornette was very humble playing it. It flowed with such ease from tenor, violin and trumpet and his presence gave you a feeling of experiencing music as it was some 40 to 50 years ago when jazz was free and the masses sought out the music to understand it. Quite a difference from the modern day imposters who lead the sheep into believing that jazz can be smooth as waves or quiet like a storm. Artistic types wondered while bureaucrats blunder, “Why, That’s Not Jazz”. My question is where did you get your definition of jazz? The definition of jazz comes from listening to the music and yourself, not to what others tell you it should be. Believer or non-believer, the choice is yours.
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