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Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life
The first full-length biography of the father of free jazz describes Coleman's beginnings as a musician, the development of his radical musical ideas, and his influence on modern jazz
258 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1993
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June 12, 2015We found our way back to you through many winding paths. We found our way to you through noise, through twisted clanging electric cacophony, because that was what had become of our music, the music given to us, late in your century. Not all of us. Some of us found our way to you through our fathers' music, this was not my way, but it is a way some took, and this kind of handing down through the years, tradition, isn’t this the ideal way… Or we found you through those you sang with, sang out among, who pointed toward you and we followed the pointing finger. Or those who had encountered you along their own paths, you were singing in their periphery, and you somehow announced yourself, clarion call, a bird in the forest, and they felt compelled to announce you to the world, so that the world might also radiate in your light and sound, in your presence. But way after way, path alongside path, we found our way back to you. Because one thing art can accomplish is to transcend the loneliness of our individual callings. It can bind callings from alien worlds, disparate backgrounds, nonparallel lives. In expression, free expression, a language is developed that doesn’t rely on the symbology of letters and words, though it can be accomplished through those too, yes - yet, in free expression of all kinds a language emerges that acts within us more like air or water, a force of nature, a need of the world or of life that is being communicated beyond reason, in some form more fundamental than reason. In music, in color, in line, in movement, in body, in breath. Creative lives share a commonality that is only expressible in the act of that creativity, and we are all drawn to it in our own way - what speaks most to us, outside ourselves, speaks like us and teaches us how to speak - we come to the things that are for us, they beckon us, and indeed they come to us as much as we come to them. So we find our way to you, and you find your way to us, those of us who wish to know how to speak this language of the inexpressible. And there we find it has already been expressed, or is always being expressed, almost effortlessly. This isn’t for everyone, it is for those who, through pain, through love, through longing, through displacement within their world, through insatiable curiosity, through being awestruck by the unfathomable fact of consciousness, must find this language, must follow this way, must have it brought to them. For whom there has never been another way.
An ancient thing speaks like a modern thing. The human voice made inhuman and thus universal. You knew the birds knew your songs. So they had to be played on horns and drums and strings of all kinds, thumping strings and strains of strings, choruses of strings, choruses of voices human and nonhuman. Over it all a cry, the cry of the baby coming into the world or the old person leaving it, the cry of longing and loneliness, the cry of joy, the cry of striving. That it was there all in one cry, the human and the nonhuman, the absolutely alone and the din of the crowd, the sun in the east and the sun in the west, the ancient voice and the modern voice - because these songs are bridges with infinite spans going to infinite lands and in their line, their movement, circling back to beginnings which are points of departure. Simultaneity, yet within that the individual expressing its being so purely and clearly. And this is why the music you made was like the world. The individual within a simultaneity made to be clearly heard, being brought to its fullest self within that community of voices, accenting them, accelerating them, restraining them, lifting them up, carefully laying them down. If life could imitate art… if life could learn from art…
And beyond this : despite antagonism, graciousness. Despite incomprehension and dismissal, gentleness. Despite ostracization, friendliness. And a constant moving forward with your work. Because in the end you were playing for the birds anyway, who are content to sit and listen to the world pass through time, and time pass through the world, as they sing their songs and listen for other songs in the forest, and respond to them. When a bird gracefully takes flight it is one of the most beautiful, moving things a human can see. When a bird takes to song and a human hears the bird singing, he knows he is at home in the world.
~~~
An ancient thing speaks like a modern thing. The human voice made inhuman and thus universal. You knew the birds knew your songs. So they had to be played on horns and drums and strings of all kinds, thumping strings and strains of strings, choruses of strings, choruses of voices human and nonhuman. Over it all a cry, the cry of the baby coming into the world or the old person leaving it, the cry of longing and loneliness, the cry of joy, the cry of striving. That it was there all in one cry, the human and the nonhuman, the absolutely alone and the din of the crowd, the sun in the east and the sun in the west, the ancient voice and the modern voice - because these songs are bridges with infinite spans going to infinite lands and in their line, their movement, circling back to beginnings which are points of departure. Simultaneity, yet within that the individual expressing its being so purely and clearly. And this is why the music you made was like the world. The individual within a simultaneity made to be clearly heard, being brought to its fullest self within that community of voices, accenting them, accelerating them, restraining them, lifting them up, carefully laying them down. If life could imitate art… if life could learn from art…
And beyond this : despite antagonism, graciousness. Despite incomprehension and dismissal, gentleness. Despite ostracization, friendliness. And a constant moving forward with your work. Because in the end you were playing for the birds anyway, who are content to sit and listen to the world pass through time, and time pass through the world, as they sing their songs and listen for other songs in the forest, and respond to them. When a bird gracefully takes flight it is one of the most beautiful, moving things a human can see. When a bird takes to song and a human hears the bird singing, he knows he is at home in the world.
~~~
January 24, 2016
"Ornette Coleman: The Harmolodic Life" isn't a biography of the great man, nor is it a study of his works or a lesson in the theory of harmolodics - it attempts to be all three. Reading as slightly unbalanced, the book chronologically progresses through Coleman's life and works, jumping between interesting, heartwarming and occasionally disconcerting stories, deconstructions of his major works, and accounts from those who surrounded him.
The book pieces vary between brief glances over some (personal favourite) albums and overly detailed deconstructions of others, which require a medium (but sometimes high) level of musical understanding. In exploring Coleman's music, the book frequently references specific songs - even phrases - of other previous jazz musicians that I generally haven't heard, and if I have, not well enough to know the exact phrases of the particular songs that the author writes as if one should know by heart.
The book also tracks the works, playing styles and lives of some of his regular players. This wasn't expected when I started reading a book about one man in particular, but it became a fascinating, involving and generally more relatable collection of accounts.
There are frequent references to the workings of the music industry around the world, which provide a useful if often depressing insight into the frustration an artist might have had to experience. There are plenty of interviews and quotes with the people who worked with Coleman, and these help to build a rounded picture of the man- the good and the less-so.
The picture section of the book presents a wonderful collection of photos that perfectly capture moments of performance, songwriting and recording, whilst the musical transcripts and detailed expanded discography which close the book will only prove useful or interesting to a handful of readers.
Overall, the book shouldn't be approached by anyone wishing to gain further understanding on the Harmolodic principles, nor by someone wishing to gain album-by-album inside information or accounts. However, anyone wishing to explore the life, the continuously evolving playing styles and the surrounding influences of one of the greatest musicians there has ever been would certainly find value here.
The book pieces vary between brief glances over some (personal favourite) albums and overly detailed deconstructions of others, which require a medium (but sometimes high) level of musical understanding. In exploring Coleman's music, the book frequently references specific songs - even phrases - of other previous jazz musicians that I generally haven't heard, and if I have, not well enough to know the exact phrases of the particular songs that the author writes as if one should know by heart.
The book also tracks the works, playing styles and lives of some of his regular players. This wasn't expected when I started reading a book about one man in particular, but it became a fascinating, involving and generally more relatable collection of accounts.
There are frequent references to the workings of the music industry around the world, which provide a useful if often depressing insight into the frustration an artist might have had to experience. There are plenty of interviews and quotes with the people who worked with Coleman, and these help to build a rounded picture of the man- the good and the less-so.
The picture section of the book presents a wonderful collection of photos that perfectly capture moments of performance, songwriting and recording, whilst the musical transcripts and detailed expanded discography which close the book will only prove useful or interesting to a handful of readers.
Overall, the book shouldn't be approached by anyone wishing to gain further understanding on the Harmolodic principles, nor by someone wishing to gain album-by-album inside information or accounts. However, anyone wishing to explore the life, the continuously evolving playing styles and the surrounding influences of one of the greatest musicians there has ever been would certainly find value here.
October 31, 2009
Decent book about a great subject. I think I still got a better sense of how harmolodics "works" from the Coleman Atlantic years box set liner notes, though.
January 13, 2022
Litweiler does a respectable job of bringing together a traditional biographical account of Ornette Coleman alongside his recording history, interspersed with brief music theory explanations of his work and appraisals of his performances. Litweiler’s Chicago perspective appealed to me as it made some familiar references and offered insights into how Ornette’s music relates to that of other Chicagoans such as Fred Anderson and Anthony Braxton.
The presence of Ornette himself is felt from the author’s extensive quoting of him throughout the book. That being said, his quotes don’t always elucidate his thinking, whether about music or life.
Like so many musicians, it’s evident that Ornette devoted most waking moments of his life to the pursuit of music. But from reading this book, it’s not evident to me what motivated him to do so. I didn’t get the impression that it was a sense of spiritual devotion, for example, as with Coltrane. That’s not necessarily a criticism of Litweiler. It may be just as much attributable to Ornette’s mystique. Because of this unanswered question, I may check out some more recent biographies.
Though Litweiler doesn’t portray Ornette this way, he nevertheless seems to me a bit of a tragic character. He developed bizarre, unattainable schemes and held unrealistic expectations for his career, which ironically got in the way of him succeeding, either in terms of exposure to wider audiences or financial success. Such as his failed attempt to compose a “ballgame” song to replace the national anthem at sporting events, sung by Frank Sinatra(!) or his retaining of a management firm late in his career with the expressed hope of making a million dollars. Of course, despite his occasional self-obstruction, in time, Ornette earned the reputation he deserved; now regarded as one of a small group (three, by Litweiler’s count) of true jazz revolutionaries.
Litweiler is a talented music historian and is most gifted when drawing connections between musicians and styles, as in his casual but enlightening description of Ornette’s sideman Don Cherry: “As for Cherry, there is clear evidence on Ornette’s early records that he was a master of hard bop phrasing and may have even been on his way to discovering an original voice, a kind of busy post-Clifford Brown style within the hard bop idiom” (54).
I particularly enjoyed the stories about Ornette as he related to other musicians. I was delighted to learn that Ornette and Albert Ayler both performed at Coltrane’s funeral, as he had requested.
The presence of Ornette himself is felt from the author’s extensive quoting of him throughout the book. That being said, his quotes don’t always elucidate his thinking, whether about music or life.
Like so many musicians, it’s evident that Ornette devoted most waking moments of his life to the pursuit of music. But from reading this book, it’s not evident to me what motivated him to do so. I didn’t get the impression that it was a sense of spiritual devotion, for example, as with Coltrane. That’s not necessarily a criticism of Litweiler. It may be just as much attributable to Ornette’s mystique. Because of this unanswered question, I may check out some more recent biographies.
Though Litweiler doesn’t portray Ornette this way, he nevertheless seems to me a bit of a tragic character. He developed bizarre, unattainable schemes and held unrealistic expectations for his career, which ironically got in the way of him succeeding, either in terms of exposure to wider audiences or financial success. Such as his failed attempt to compose a “ballgame” song to replace the national anthem at sporting events, sung by Frank Sinatra(!) or his retaining of a management firm late in his career with the expressed hope of making a million dollars. Of course, despite his occasional self-obstruction, in time, Ornette earned the reputation he deserved; now regarded as one of a small group (three, by Litweiler’s count) of true jazz revolutionaries.
Litweiler is a talented music historian and is most gifted when drawing connections between musicians and styles, as in his casual but enlightening description of Ornette’s sideman Don Cherry: “As for Cherry, there is clear evidence on Ornette’s early records that he was a master of hard bop phrasing and may have even been on his way to discovering an original voice, a kind of busy post-Clifford Brown style within the hard bop idiom” (54).
I particularly enjoyed the stories about Ornette as he related to other musicians. I was delighted to learn that Ornette and Albert Ayler both performed at Coltrane’s funeral, as he had requested.
December 7, 2018
To be completely honest, I have what most people would call a terrible taste in all sorts of media whether it is a book, move, or album. I go into books, movies, and albums expecting to like them and it gets hard for me to dislike them. I really enjoyed the biographical sections of the book and the breakdowns of some of his most popular songs were interesting to read. The main problem I have with the book is the weird jumps from section to section. Without much flow, the book ends up feeling like a collection of articles of Ornette Coleman rather than a cohesive book of Ornette Coleman if that makes any sense. Like others have said previously, the author seems to have left large chunks of Ornette's life and I would of liked to see some parts expanded on. My last criticism is that Litweiler could have made the description of the book more indicative of the contents of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit as Ornette Coleman has been one of my favorite free jazz artists. The book definitely could have been reorganized, as it's current order does not help readers digest the information as well as it could. I would recommend this book to any free jazz enthusiasts who want to have some basic knowledge of the man who started it all.
Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit as Ornette Coleman has been one of my favorite free jazz artists. The book definitely could have been reorganized, as it's current order does not help readers digest the information as well as it could. I would recommend this book to any free jazz enthusiasts who want to have some basic knowledge of the man who started it all.
January 21, 2018
i love ornette but there isn't much going on here, the usual fuzziness w/r/t harmolodics (which after all seems less like a theory and more like an approach, the kind of thing you can come to understand just by listening to the music) plus a rehash of the bio in 4 lives. artless writing of the this-happened-and-then-that-happened sort. worst of all, all the best anecdotes are quoted from other places; it is unclear if ornette was even properly interviewed for this book. basically no insight into any of the sidemen except haden and maybe denardo. a few reviewy sections that basically reiterate what everybody knows, the early atlantic stuff is the best and then the prime time stuff is interesting, skies of america probably isn't that good but ornette is devoted to it, most of the other albums are compromised in some way or another, ornette's always getting fucked around. i dunno. it's just sort of like a 200-page wikipedia article.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2024
This is as well-researched and comprehensive as it could have been in 1994. Despite the occasion unnecessary value judgements, it's essential. Litweiler is over-the-top in claiming Coleman as THE central jazz figure after Louis Armstrong. Then he's frankly dismissive about artistic moves he finds unwise in Coleman's career, especially the trials and travails of the Artists House era which are well-covered here.
June 16, 2016
I wanted to like this more than I did, but there were a few frustrating things that kept me from getting as into this as I would have liked. The first, through no one's fault, is just that this original version stops at the dawn of the '90s, but Ornette has done a lot of interesting stuff since. The more fundamental problem is that this seemed to bounce back and forth between being a straight-ahead bio and delving deeper into Ornette's theory. I have no trouble with either approach, but this jumped back and forth between the two with little warning and weirdly skipped over areas I'd really have loved to hear more about. Not a bad book, but I was hoping for a fuller picture than this provided.
August 23, 2009
This jazz biog was a real page-turner...there has never been a more divisive jazz musician in history than Ornette Coleman. His debut shows in New York resulted in jazz purists physically attacking him much the same way the stuffy R&B purists beat him up earlier in his career. Ornette went beyond paying his dues and took a beating for playing the music that was to become free jazz.
John Litweiler avoids the verbose pitfalls of over-writing jazz history and sticks to the facts in a very spare style that keeps the pace of the book grooving, like a great Ornette album. An excellent music bio worthy of more attention.
John Litweiler avoids the verbose pitfalls of over-writing jazz history and sticks to the facts in a very spare style that keeps the pace of the book grooving, like a great Ornette album. An excellent music bio worthy of more attention.
January 29, 2016
Very well researched, very detailed history of the musical pioneer's life up through the late 80's. I'll admit I set out looking for more insight into Coleman's harmolodic theory and his musical philosophy; while these subjects are discussed (in the same detail as everything else in the book), they are not the main focus of the text. Kind of overwhelming for those (like myself) who are not as familiar with jazz musical theory and who are not used to listening to pieces of music in extreme detail, but it is incredibly informative regardless.
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August 25, 2009I don't completely understand harmolodics. Ornette seems to get it, thankfully.
March 18, 2012
Amazing insight into a musical genius. Only for the serious jazz-head
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