tectactoe
04.09.25 | Before anyone bitches, here is a quick explanation of the tier system: It is entirely within the context of the artist e.g. I took Colemanโs discography and divvied the albums up within six different tiers considering a normal(ish) distribution (with a much higher standard deviation). This gives you the lowest number of albums in the best/worst tiers, and the largest grouping of albums in the middle tiers. This is not to say that things in the โC-Tierโ are average in a vacuum, per se, they are just average in the context of Ornetteโs discography.
โข Albums in each tier are (very) roughly ranked according to personal preference. Moon emojis signify where score cut-offs lie.
โข I did not include live albums.
โข I only included studio albums whereupon Coleman has a leading credit. This includes his work with Prime Time, as well as the final collaboration release with Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Ornette also received compositional credit here).
โข I did not include compilation material that was mostly released elsewhere, even if reissued or re-recorded (e.g. The Mastery series).
โข I did not include archival material that was recorded specifically for a motion picture (in other words, no Whoโs Crazy). |
widowslaugh123
04.09.25 | Nice. Change of the Century rules hard |
dedex
04.09.25 | cool !! am far from a Coleman expert but apart from the obvious one, my fav (of the ones I jammed) is Science Fiction |
Butkuiss
04.09.25 | Science fiction so low should be a crime!!! |
dedex
04.09.25 | ^yeah that's basically what i meant |
tectactoe
04.09.25 | Science Fiction is indeed great (7/10), though in fairness it has been some time since I've listened to it in full and I'm having trouble now remembering what my initial gripe with it was (regarding why it's not rated even higher). Perhaps it's due time for a revisit and possible revaluation. Looking at what I've ranked above it, not sure it'll actually jump out of B-tier, but a rating bump to 8/10 might be in the cards. (Or at least I'd like to get a better and more up-to-date idea of why I didn't initially rate it higher.) |
Butkuiss
04.09.25 | Look itโs not as groundbreaking as his double quartet stuff but I still quite like it. |
Demon of the Fall
04.09.25 | seeing Ornette! atop is reassuring, but then I've only heard like five of these in total, so what do I know?
Great list. Informative, as always. |
AlexKzillion
04.09.25 | we are so back |
CottonSalad
04.09.25 | don't harmolodic me |
tectactoe
04.09.25 | Okay, just spun Science Fiction (for the first time since July 2022, actually - damn...) in full and remembered my only big reservation: A soggy midsection. Begins and ends pretty spectacularly (opening three tracks + closer are thoroughbred bangers) but the four-song run from title track โ Law Years, while still quite good, underwhelms, at least compared to what surrounds it on both sides. The crying baby stuff is a bit gimmicky (forgot about that) and the vocals don't stun quite as much the second time around. The instrumentals are a little less stunning and wild. |
bludngorevidal
04.09.25 | not that it should be anywhere above E tier, but where's New Vocabulary? |
tectactoe
04.09.25 | Should've clarified that I dashed that from consideration since it's almost more of a "supergroup" release than something Coleman was solely/mostly responsible for composing himself. (Even with Prime Time, he was the clear band leader.) |
bludngorevidal
04.09.25 | fair enough. though calling it a supergroup release is an insult to the words super and group |
tectactoe
04.14.25 | That is more than fair. I suppose Ornette is really the only "super" one of the three. |
Demon of the Fall
04.16.25 | Snuck in a cheeky re-peek at Change of the Century (no review!) and although a good time was had, I haven't yet gotten to my homework because it appears *checks notes*...
"Chappaqua Suite | 1967" is next on the agenda |
tectactoe
04.16.25 | Yes yes, let the free jazz flow through you.
That one is tect + winesburg + dadkungfu approved.
Not that that should (or does) mean anything to you but perhaps worthy of note! |
