Ornette Coleman - Science Fiction (pt. 1?)
It has been a while, while I was away in New York, but I was eager to get back into the swing of things, so the first weekend I was back, I went to the record store and got some new stuff. Along with a sort of mediocre-in-hindsight record by The Fourth Way, I picked up Ornette Coleman’s record Science Fiction.
In 1971, Coleman made this record, more than 10 years after Free Jazz, and more than 5 years after Coletrane’s Ascension record. I mention these two records here because they give context to Science Fiction, and are no doubt strong conceptual contributors. Science Fiction is a great free jazz record - Coleman’s wailing sax, Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins’ fevered (and cooperative) drumming, and some really touching bass parts played by Charlie Haden. A variety of trumpet players play on the record, varying by track. With this cast of characters, some of whom had played with Coleman for upwards of 15 years at this point, S.F. is a well-executed, mostly improvised jazz recording. There are a couple of things which really set it apart, however, making it not just a good example of a genre that, by 1971 was beginning to be well-explored.
First of all, the opening track on side one “What Reason Could I Give” is a good example of how atonal and rhythmically composition and improvisation can be beautiful music. The sound is textural, with little coherent movement by the players, but this gives rise to subtle, spontaneous harmony. In addition, when coherence does emerge, it is surprising and in juxtaposition to the prevailing disorder makes your listening brain really light up.
All of these things are great, but what makes this track really great is the experimental jump made by Coleman in bringing in a syrupy female vocalist to sing over everything. Asha Puthli, on what, according to Wikipedia, is her first recording repeatedly questions listeners: “what reason could I give?” By contributing her voice, she rounds out the song’s seven part ensemble. Less frequently than saxophone or trumpet does a female vocal part ‘run the show’ on a free jazz album, but this track shows that not only does it work, but it really sounds great.
Side one moves on to its second track Civilization Day. Which, while technically sound, and very dense, turns out to be a lack-luster romp, living as a scaffold for improvisation which lacks the magic of that on the first track.
After this, the first side finishes strong, though. Street Woman is a Coleman classic. The recognizable opening riff leads into solos in his characteristic crying timbre, held up by some intricately woven bass/drum duos. Some way into the track, everyone lays out, and gives Haden a chance to shine on bass. His solo here plays with the established melody (the opening riff) in an interesting way. With a lot of flourish, and colorful alterations, he manipulates the riff, varying it in tempo and time, and by inverting and interleaving it spontaneously. This leaves the flavor of the song intact, but leaves room for Haden to really show what he can do on bass. At the same time, the solo isn’t just a demonstration of his skill as a bassist, which sometimes leaves technically complex solos feeling robotic. Instead, the song remains emotionally charged, and carries its intensity to the song’s end.
The final track on side one is the album’s title track. It is especially free; of melodic and rhythmic structure. It is a wave of sound, with a dissonant, confused texture to it, which sometimes emerges in free jazz work. The dissonance lends itself as an eerie backdrop to the recital of a poem written and performed by David Henderson. The poem’s content is fairly nebulous, addressing human existence, and religion, to name a few of its themes. In my view, the poem’s content is unimportant. As with the experimental (and successful) use of a female vocalist on the first track, this track goes further if the poem’s recital is considered more like an instrument. Henderson’s unusual cadence and his monotone, but enunciative speech contribute to the overall spooky feel of this track.
That is the dirt on side one. I haven’t yet spent enough time listening to side two to say anything about it, so I’ll leave that for the future. Haden’s bass, Puthli’s sweet voice, and Coleman’s evokative whine, will likely keep Science Fiction near the top of my stack for a while.
