RoJaC - Robert's Jazz Corner 

Ornette Coleman Discography

by Robert Stubenrauch (rstubenr@iicm.edu)

Ornette Coleman products at Amazon.com and Amazon.de

Last modified: Aug 6, 2004

Ornette Coleman plays as, tp, violin and ts. Generally, from the mid 1960s on, one can expect to hear Coleman play trumpet and violin on a few tracks of each record.

People who played in Coleman's groups on a regular basis are:

List of issued recordings

The following is a listing of records on which Ornette Coleman plays, both under his own name and as a sideman. The listing is chronologically according to recording dates. Following data are included: artists name, title, label, month of recording, sidemen. If the same record has also been issued under a different title and/or non a different label, this is also noted. Furthermore it is indicated if it is a live recording. In case of a bootleg, there is a comment about the sound quality.

This listing is complete to a very high degree, as it contains more entries as both discographies mentioned above.

For later reference, we number the classic quartets:
Quartet 1 = Coleman, Cherry, Haden, Higgins
Quartet 2 = Coleman, Cherry, Haden, Blackwell
Quartet 3 = Coleman, Cherry, LaFaro, Blackwell
Quartet 4 = Coleman, Cherry, Garrison, Blackwell

1.	Ornette Coleman: Something Else!!!!. Contemporary 2-3/58 Cherry, Walter Norris (p), Don Payne (b), Higgins
2.	Paul Bley: The Fabulous Paul Bley Quintet. America 10-11/58, live retitled "Live At The Hillcrest Club 1958" (Inner City); Cherry, Haden, Higgins + Paul Bley (p)
3.	Ornette Coleman: Coleman Classics Vol. 1. Improvising Artists 10-11/58, live Cherry, Haden, Higgins + Paul Bley (p)
4.	Ornette Coleman: Tomorrow Is The Question!. Contemporary 1,2/59 Cherry, Red Mitchell (b), Shelly Manne (d)
5.	Ornette Coleman: The Shape Of Jazz To Come. Atlantic 5/59 Cherry, Haden, Higgins
6.	Lenox School Of Jazz. S.O.J., Royal Jazz 8/59, live Documentary recording; 2 tracks sextet with Coleman and Cherry; 3 tracks Coleman in a larger ensemble
7.	Ornette Coleman: Change Of The Century. Atlantic 10/59 Cherry, Haden, Higgins
8.	Ornette Coleman: This Is Our Music. Atlantic 6,8/60 Cherry, Haden, Blackwell
9.	Gunther Schuller: Jazz Abstractions. Atlantic 12/60 on 3 tracks, a.o. with Eric Dolphy (bcl), Bill Evans (p), Jim Hall (g), Lafaro
10.	Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz. Atlantic 12/60 "a collective improvisation of the Ornette Coleman Double Quartet"; Cherry, Haden, Higgins, LaFaro, Blackwell, Eric Dolphy (bcl), Freddie Hubbard (tp)
11.	Ornette Coleman: Ornette! Atlantic 1/61 Cherry, LaFaro, Blackwell
12.	Ornette Coleman: Ornette On Tenor. Atlantic 3/61 Cherry, Garrison, Blackwell; Coleman plays only tenor sax
13.	Ornette Coleman: The Art Of The Improvisers. Atlantic 5/59-3/61 compilation of previosly unissued material; Quartets 1 - 4
14.	Ornette Coleman: Twins. Atlantic 5/59-1/61 compilation of previosly unissued material; Quartets 1 - 3; contains "First Take", an alternate take of "Free Jazz" with the double quartet
15.	Ornette Coleman: To Whom Who Keeps A Record. Atlantic 10/59-7/60 compilation of previosly unissued material; Quartets 1 & 2
16.	Ornette Coleman: Beauty Is A Rare Thing (6CD). Atlantic/Rhino 5/59-3/61 contains all material ever released on Atlantic + 6 unissued tracks
17.	Ornette Coleman: Town Hall, 1962. ESP 12/62, live also as "Dedication to Poets and Writers", Magic Music 30010-CD; Izenzon, Moffett; 1 track string quartet without Coleman
18.	Ornette Coleman: Chappaqua Suite (2LP). CBS Columbia 6/65 Soundtrack; 4 extended tracks; Izenzon, Moffett; partially interplaying with an 11 piece orchestra; very short appearance of Pharoah Sanders (ts) finally reissued on CD (France, 1996)!
19.	Ornette Coleman: An Evening With Ornette Coleman 1. Black Lion 8/65, live side 1: wind quintet without Coleman; side 2: Izenzon, Moffett
20.	Ornette Coleman: An Evening With Ornette Coleman 2. Black Lion 8/65, live Izenzon, Moffett
21.	Ornette Coleman: Who's Crazy, Vol. 1 & 2? Atmosphere 11/65 ? Soundtrack; Izenzon, Moffett; re-issues on Affinity, and as Japanese CD
22.	Ornette Coleman / Sonny Rollins: The Paris Concert (2CDs). Magnetic 11/65, live boot Izenzon, Moffett; 1 disc Coleman, the other is Rollins (same date)
23.	Ornette Coleman: Live At The Tivoli 1965 (CD). Magnetic 11/65, live boot Izenzon, Moffett; contains a 4 minutes interview with Coleman; good sound
24.	Ornette Coleman: At The "Golden Circle" Vol. 1 & 2. Blue Note 12/65, live Izenzon, Moffett
25.	Ornette Coleman: The Empty Foxhole. Blue Note 9/66 Haden, Denardo (10 years old!)
26.	Ornette Coleman: The Music Of Ornette Coleman - Forms & Sounds. RCA 3/67 1 track woodwind quintet, 2 tracks string quartet
27.	Jackie McLean: New And Old Gospel. Blue Note 3/67 McLean (as), Coleman (tp), Lamont Johnson (p), Scott Holt (b), Higgins; 1 side: compositions by Coleman
28.	Bob Thiele: Head Start. Flying Dutchman 7/67 Izenzon, Haden, Moffett; on 1 track, recorded at the funeral of John Coltrane
29.	Ornette Coleman: The Unprecedented Music Of Ornette Coleman. Lotus, Joker 2/68 live boot Izenzon, Haden, Blackwell; acceptable sound
30.	Ornette Coleman: Live in Milano 1968 (CD). JazzUp 2/68, live boot also as "In All Languages", Moon Izenzon, Haden, Blackwell; poor sound
31.	Yoko Ono: Plastic Ono Band. Apple 2/68 reissued on CD, Ryko RCD 10414 on 1 track: Ono (voc), Coleman (tp,v), Izenzon, Haden, Blackwell
32.	Ornette Coleman: New York Is Now. Blue Note 4,5/68 Redman, Garrison, Elvin Jones (d)
33.	Ornette Coleman: Love Call. Blue Note 4,5/68 Redman, Garrison, Elvin Jones (d)
34.	Ornette Coleman: Ornette At 12. Impulse! 8/68 live Redman, Haden, Denardo
35.	Ornette Coleman: Crisis. Impulse! 3/69 live Cherry, Redman, Haden, Denardo
36.	Ornette Coleman: Man On The Moon / Growing Up. Impulse! 6/69 a 45 rpm single! Redman, Haden, Blackwell, Emanuel Ghent (synth)
37.	Ornette Coleman: Broken Shadows. Moon 8/69, live boot Redman, Haden, Blackwell; very poor sound
38.	Ornette Coleman: Friends And Neighbors. Flying Dutchman, RCA 2/70 live Redman, Haden, Blackwell
39.	Louis Armstrong: His Last recordings 1970. Flying Dutchman, RCA 5/70 on 2 tracks, Coleman sings as a member of a choir, celebrating Armstrong's 70th birthday
40.	Alice Coltrane: Universal Consciousness. Impulse! 4/71 on 3 tracks, credit is given to Coleman for string arrangements
41.	Ornette Coleman: Science Fiction. CBS Columbia 9/71 Cherry, Redman, Bradford, Haden, Higgins, Blackwell in varying groups, plus recitation by David Henderson and vocals by Asha Puthli on 1 track each
42.	Ornette Coleman: European Concert. Unique Jazz 11/71, live boot Redman, Haden, Blackwell; acceptable sound
43.	Ornette Coleman: Broken Shadows. CBS Columbia 9/71,9/72 Cherry, Redman, Bradford, Haden, Higgins, Blackwell in varying groups; plus 2 tracks with Redman, Jim Hall (g), Cedar Walton (p), Haden, Blackwell, Webster Armstrong (voc) and a woodwind quintet
44.	Ornette Coleman: Paris Concert (2LP). Trio 2/66,10-11/71 record 1: Izenzon, Moffett, 1966; record 2: Redman, Haden, Blackwell, 1971
45.	Ornette Coleman: The Belgrade Concert. Jazz Door 11/71, live boot (CD) Redman, Haden Blackwell; very good sound
46.	Ornette Coleman: Skies Of America. CBS Columbia 4/72 London Philharmonic Orchestra, with partial interplay by Coleman on as
47.	Ornette Coleman: Stating The Case. Jazz Anthology 9/72, live boot also released as "Ornette Coleman Broadcasts" (J for Jazz); Cherry, Redman, Haden, Blackwell; sides 1 and 2 are almost identical ! very poor sound
48.	Ornette Coleman: In Concert (2LP). Craws 5/74, live boot James Ulmer (g), Sirone (Norris Jones) (b), Higgins; good sound
49.	Ornette Coleman: Lonely Woman (4LP Box). Bat 1966+5/74, live boot 1 side rec. 1966 Izenzon, Moffett; 3 sides rec. 1974 with James Ulmer (g), Sirone (Norris Jones) (b), Higgins
50.	Claude Nougaro: Femmes Et Famines. Barclay 11?12/75 on 1 track with the French Singer Nougaro (voc)
51.	Ornette Coleman: Dancing In Your Head. A&M Horizon 1/73,12/75 1 track with the Master Musicians of Joujouka, Morocco, 1/73; rest with Nix, Ellerbee, Tacuma, Jackson
52.	Ornette Coleman: Body Meta. Artists House 12/75 Nix, Ellerbee, Tacuma, Jackson reissued on CD; Harmolodic/Verve 7/96
53.	Charlie Haden: Closeness. A&M Horizon 3/76 on 1 track duo with Haden
54.	Charlie Haden: The Golden Number. A&M Horizon 12/76 on 1 track duo with Haden (Coleman plays tp)
55.	Ornette Coleman / Charlie Haden: Soapsuds, Soapsuds. Artists House 1/77 duos with Haden; Coleman plays ts and tp reissued on CD; Harmolodic/Verve 7/96
56.	James Blood (Ulmer): Tales of Captain Black. Artists House 12/78 Ulmer (g), Tacuma, Denardo reissued on CD; DIW 7/96
57.	Ornette Coleman: Of Human Feelings. Antilles 4/79 Nix, Ellerbee, Tacuma, Denardo, Weston
58.	Ornette Coleman: Opening The Caravan Of Dreams. Caravan Of Dreams 9/83, live Nix, Ellerbee, Tacuma, MacDowell, Denardo, Sabir Kamal (d)
59.	Ornette Coleman: Prime Time / Time Design. Caravan Of Dreams 10/83 string quartet with Denardo; without Coleman
60.	Jamaaladeen Tacuma: Renaissance Man. Gramavision 1984 on 1 track (Dancing in Your Head)
61.	Jamaaladeen Tacuma: So Tranquilizin'. Gramavision 1984 on 1 track; very commercial
62.	Pat Metheny / Ornette Coleman: Song X. Geffen 12/85 Metheny (g), Haden, Jack DeJohnette (d), Denardo
63.	Jayne Cortez: Maintain Control. Bola Press 9/86 jazz & poetry by Coleman's ex-wife; Coleman plays on one track with Cortez (voc), Charles Moffett Jr. (ts), Nix, MacDowell, Denardo
64.	Ornette Coleman: In All Languages (2LP/2CD). Caravan Of Dreams 2-3/87 reissued on CD, 1997, Harmolodic/Verve record 1: Cherry, Haden, Higgins; record 2: Nix, Ellerbee, Tacuma, Denardo, Weston
65.	Verona Jazz (CD, 1996). Nettle 6/87 A 11 minutes cut of "Skies of America", performed at the Verona Jazz Festival Nix, Ellerbee, McDowell, Walker, Weston, Denardo + Symphony Orchestra of the Verona Arena. This CD was issued as a supplement to the Italian jazz magazine MUSICA JAZZ, no. 6/96 (June 96)
66.	Ornette Coleman: Virgin Beauty. CBS Portrait late 87 / early 88 Nix, Ellerbee, MacDowell, Chris Walker (el-b), Denardo, Weston + Jerry Garcia (g) on 3 tracks
67.	Ornette Coleman: Live at Jazzbuehne Berlin '88. Repertoire 6/88, live Ken Wessel (el-g), Chris Rosenberg (el-g), Chris Walker (el-b), MacDowell, Denardo, Badal Roy (tablas); produced by the East-German Broadcast Company; perfect sound;
68.	Al McDowell: Time Peace. Gramavision 1989 Coleman plays on one track with McDowell (el-b, key, dr-machine), Jack O'Neil (sax), Jeff Ciampa (g), Bernard Wright (key), Lizette (voc)
69.	Howard Shore / Ornette Coleman: Naked Lunch. Milan 8/91 Soundtrack; mostly orchestral pieces by Shore with Coleman; few tracks of Coleman trio (Denardo, Barre Phillips (b))
70.	Ornette Coleman & Prime Time: Tone Dialing. Harmolodic/Verve 1994 or 95 Badal Roy (tabla,perc), Ken Wessel (el-g), Chris Rosenberg (el-g), Dave Bryant (keyb), Bradley Jones (ac-b), Al McDowell (el-b), Chris Walker (el-b), Avenda Ali (voc)
71.	Ornette Coleman: Sound Museum - Hidden Man / Three Women. Harmolodic/Verve 1994 ? Geri Allen (p), Charnett Moffett (b), Denardo + Lauren Kinhan, Chris Walker (voc) on 1 track of "Three Women" 2 separate CDs with almost the same compositions
72.	Yochk'o Seffer: Ornette For Ever. Emen 11/95 Yochk'o Seffer (sax), Didier Levallet (b), Tony Marsh (d), Debora Seffer (vln) Coleman plays on 3 tracks
73.	Geri Allen: Eyes ... In The Back of Your Head. Blue Note 12/95 or 3/96 two duo tracks with Allen (p)
74.	Ornette Coleman / Joachim Kühn: Colors. Harmolodic/Verve 8/96 duos with Joachim Kühn (p), live in Dresden
75.	Rolf Kühn & Friends: Affairs. Intuition 1/97 one duo track with R.Kühn (cl)
76.	Joe Henry Scar. Mammoth 9/00 on 2 tracks (one of which is "hidden")
77.	Lou Reed The Raven. Reprise (Warner) 2002 on 1 track
78.	Eddy Grant Hearts & Diamonds. Ice Records 2002 on 1 track

© Copyright by Robert Stubenrauch. This document may be freely distributed for private non-commercial use only. For any commercial use on whatever medium please contact the author.