“Celebrate Ornette!” at Celebrate Brooklyn!

by Robert Leeper

Photo credits: Christopher Gregory, The New York Times

There was something majestic, something paternal in his sly smile. Ornette Coleman spent the better part of his time on stage sitting quietly—center stage—with his hands softly folded. It was as though some patron saint of all that is beautiful and free and right in the world was observing as the children played around him.

He did not purport to be deserving of any sort of accolades, but seemed happy that his presence was able to be the focal point for what was really a celebration of love and music. The entire atmosphere of the evening can be summed up in the few words the maestro himself spoke: "It's beautiful to see so many people who know what life is. We all got to get together and help each other out."

Thursday night's "Celebrate Ornette" program was a part of BRIC's Celebrate Brooklyn! series and co-presented with the Blue Note Jazz Festival. Some 30 or so individuals from various corners of the jazz and art world, all highly active in their own careers, came to bask in the generous presence of Mr. Ornette Coleman—the idealist, the jazz oracle, the world's foremost expert of free imagination at play; whatever you want to call it, they were there.  

The foundation of the first half of the evening comprised old names from the Coleman book: Denardo Coleman, Ornette's son, on drums; Al MacDowell on electric bass; and Tony Falanga on acoustic. First out to join the group, Flea—yes, that Flea—and Henry Threadgill, known as, among other things, a founder of the free jazz trio Air. Flea may have made some sort of deal with the devil on the more recent Chili Pepper albums, but the man can still throw down a jazz solo, and had no trouble keeping up with the more seasoned jazzmen. The ensemble warmed up the crowd with rollicking renditions of "Broadway Blues" and "Law Years."

After his statement to open the evening, Ornette went backstage but he was not to be kept there for long. Picking a nice medium-tempo blues for his feature, he wandered where his sax took him and the group followed. Starting with a completely solo sax, he led with long, smooth lines as the group joined—flitting and swooping around his lead. The slow build began with remnants of a stuttering beat from Denardo, which grew and evolvedm with each performer playing a solo of their own as part of a chaotic whole. The other three saxophonists positioned their bells facing Coleman, as if to continue learning, to never stop soaking in his mastery.

Pianist Geri Allen and post-bop wizard Joe Lovano came out for "The Sphinx" and "Sleep Talk," and were even joined by the rhythmic variations of a tap dancer whose tapping suited the rest of the group surprisingly well. Allen's energetic performance made the rapid shifts between deeply chromatic lines and closely packed chord clusters seem facile. Patti Smith's appearance, backed by her band, included sung and spoken poems inspired by the entire Coleman family, and their support for a young Ornette. 

The second half was the real test for the audience. There were a few breaks for set changes, drops of rain fell, and the music took a turn for what one might call the "deep" cuts, no longer the classics from the '50s and '60s. Laurie Anderson was joined by John Zorn on alto sax and Bill Laswell on electric bass for Lou Reed's drones. The swirling mass of feedback let loose a kind of savage calm—a fitting tribute to Mr. Reed, whose death shook the music world last year, and who was a fervent advocate of Ornette Coleman's work. 

Nels Cline and Thurston Moore came out for a duo, followed by a spectacular "Dancing in Your Head." James Blood Ulmer's tense, funky rhythm guitar was tight with Ravi Colman and Denardo Coleman as the outburst of saxophone and odd funk expanded and contracted as one. They were also joined by members of the Master Musicians of Joujouka—Morrocan reed players known for their work with Ornette, as well as for working extensively with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.

The evening ended as the illustrious career of Mr. Coleman began, with "Lonely Woman." From the first bass notes of the opening track of his 1959 masterpiece, The Shape of Jazz to Come, jazz—and music—was changed forever. 

Thanks, Ornette.

Celebrate Brooklyn continues through August 9. Information here.