Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Focus On Sanity
2. Chronology
3. Peace
4. Congeniality
5. Lonely Woman
6. Monk And The Nun
7. Just For You
8. Eventually
9. Una Muy Bonita
10. Bird Food
11. Change Of The Century
12. Music Always

Disc 2:

1. The Face Of The Bass
2. Forerunner
3. Free
4. The Circle With A Hole In The Middle
5. Ramblin'
6. Little Symphony
7. The Tribes Of New York
8. Kaleidoscope
9. Rise And Shine
10. Mr. And Mrs. People
11. Blues Connotation
12. I Heard It Over The Radio

Disc 3:

1. P. S. Unless One Has (Blues Connotation No.2)
2. Revolving Doors
3. Brings Goodness
4. Joy Of A Toy
5. To Us
6. Humpty Dumpty
7. The Fifth Of Beethoven
8. Motive For Its Use
9. Moon Inhabitants
10. The Legend Of Bebop
11. Some Other
12. Embraceable You
13. All

Disc 4:

1. Folk Tale
2. Poise
3. Beauty Is A Rare Thing
4. First Take
5. Free Jazz

Disc 5:

1. Proof Readers
2. W.R.U.
3. Check Up
4. T. & T.
5. C. & D.
6. R.P.D.D.
7. The Alchemy Of Scott Lafaro

Disc 6:

1. EOS
2. Enfant
3. Ecars
4. Cross Breeding
5. Harlem's Manhattan
6. MAPA
7. Abstraction
8. Variants On A Theme Of Thelonious Monk (Criss-Cross): A. Variant I/B. Variant II/C. Variant III...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71518 in Music
• Released on: 1997-03-03
• Number of discs: 6
• Formats: Box set, Best of
• Dimensions: 1.34 pounds

From Amazon.co.uk
The opportunity to possess--in one convenient package--every recording Ornette Coleman made for Atlantic is an opportunity most fans of modern jazz would be hard pressed to turn down. (It must be noted, however, that many jazz fans would have a very easy time turning down anything Coleman recorded, thank you very much). But for Coleman fans, this collection is an embarrassment of riches. Arranged chronologically by recording date, the set collects music from 1959 to 1961, the period many consider Ornette's most vital. Included are sessions from Free Jazz, Ornette!, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Twins, The Art of the Improvisers, Change of the Century, To Whom Who Keeps a Record and This Is Our Music. As a bonus, producers have also included a handful of previously unreleased tracks. Packaged with gorgeous photos, terrific liner notes from Robert Palmer, as well as copious discographic information, Beauty is a terrific package. As for the music, the recordings are clean, with excellent stereo separation (usually featuring Coleman in one channel and pocket trumpeter Don Cherry in another). But what really sets this collection apart is how clearly the spirit of the music is visible. Beauty bristles with that coiled, edge- of-the-chair excitement that Coleman could so easily summon capture, and manipulate. And while Coleman's horn playing here is genuinely pulse-quickening and vital, what also emerges from this set is the strength of his band. While Coleman was tensed and ready to pounce, the more esoteric Cherry was able to float and drift with the currents of music's emotion. Behind them, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell could roar like an open-throttle race car or purr like an idling sedan. But no matter what speed, this is music that gives the listener the impression it is going somewhere. And, of course, for Ornette Coleman, the destination isn't the point, it's the journey. --S Duda

Amazon.com essential recording
The opportunity to possess--in one convenient package--every recording Ornette Coleman made for Atlantic is an opportunity most fans of modern jazz would be hard pressed to turn down. (It must be noted, however, that many jazz fans would have a very easy time turning down anything Ornette recorded, thank you very much). But for Coleman fans, this collection is an embarrassment of riches. Arranged chronologically by recording date, the set collects music from 1959 to 1961, the period many consider Ornette's most vital. Included are sessions from Free Jazz, Ornette!, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Twins, The Art of the Improvisers, Change of the Century, To Whom Who Keeps a Record, and This Is Our Music. As a bonus, producers have also included a handful of previously unreleased tracks. Packaged with gorgeous photos, terrific liner notes from Robert Palmer, as well as copious discographic information, Beauty is a terrific package. As for the music, the recordings are clean, with excellent stereo separation (usually featuring Ornette in one channel and pocket trumpeter Don Cherry in another). But what really sets this collection apart is how clearly the spirit of the music is visible. Beauty bristles with that coiled, edge-of-the-chair excitement that Ornette could so easily summon, capture, and manipulate. And while Coleman's horn playing here is genuinely pulse-quickening and vital, what also emerges from this set is the strength of his band. While Ornette was tensed and ready to pounce, the more esoteric Cherry was able to float and drift with the currents of music's emotion. Behind them, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell could roar like an open-throttle race car or purr like an idling sedan. But no matter what speed, this is music that gives the listener the impression it is going somewhere. And, of course, for Ornette Coleman, the destination isn't the point, it's the journey. S. Duda