New York Is Now!
Encyclopedia
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New York Is Now! is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman
released on the Blue Note
label in 1968.
The album sees Coleman accompanied by John Coltrane
's former rhythm section, drummer
Elvin Jones
and bassist
Jimmy Garrison
, and by tenor sax
player Dewey Redman
. Vocals are provided by Mel Fuhrman. It was recorded at A&R Studios, New York City in two sessions, on April 29 (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6), and May 7 (tracks 3 & 5), 1968.
Piero Scaruffi
finds the album representative of a transition to a new phase in Coleman's music. Along with Love Call
, he finds New York Is Now to be "like a melodic divertissment, entertaining traditionalists with the 14-minute The Garden of Souls".
by Blue Note Records in 1968. A compact disc version was first issued on January 27, 1990.
New York Is Now! is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
released on the Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
label in 1968.
The album sees Coleman accompanied by John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
's former rhythm section, drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
and bassist
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
Jimmy Garrison
Jimmy Garrison
Jimmy Garrison was an American jazz double bassist born in Miami, Florida. He was best known through his long association with John Coltrane from 1961–1967.-Biography:...
, and by tenor sax
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
player Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman was an American jazz saxophonist, known for performing free jazz as a bandleader, and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett....
. Vocals are provided by Mel Fuhrman. It was recorded at A&R Studios, New York City in two sessions, on April 29 (tracks 1, 2, 4 & 6), and May 7 (tracks 3 & 5), 1968.
Reception
The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 3 stars and stated "New York Is Now is one of the true curiosity pieces in Ornette's catalog". Jurek sees the album finding Coleman "in some sense, at odds with himself" and the rhythm section, which he finds "a lot more modally than harmonically propelled". In particular, he identifies drummer Elvin Jones as sounding restricted by the album's slow tempos. Jurek is also unfavourable about Coleman's violin playing. On the whole, he characterises New York Is Now as "pleasant and amusing if not amazing".Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi
Piero Scaruffi received a degree in Mathematics in 1982 from University of Turin, where he did work on the General Theory of Relativity. For a number of years he was the head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at Olivetti, based in Cupertino, California. He has been a visiting scholar at...
finds the album representative of a transition to a new phase in Coleman's music. Along with Love Call
Love Call
is Rythem's fifteenth single and the duo's first double-A side and collaboration single . It was released on July 23, 2008 under Sony Music Entertainment Japan label. Love Call is used as an ending theme for the Nippon TV's drama Sukkiri!! making this the group's second tie-in with the said drama...
, he finds New York Is Now to be "like a melodic divertissment, entertaining traditionalists with the 14-minute The Garden of Souls".
Release history
The album was originally released as an LPGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by Blue Note Records in 1968. A compact disc version was first issued on January 27, 1990.
Track listing
- All compositions by Ornette Coleman.
- "The Garden of Souls" – 13:57
- "Toy Dance" – 7:25
- "Broadway Blues" – 8:40
- "Broadway Blues" (alternate version) – 7:33 (bonus track on CD reissue)
- "Round Trip" – 6:17
- "We Now Interrupt for a Commercial" – 3:19
Performance
- Ornette ColemanOrnette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
– alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
(tracks 1-5), violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(track 6), trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Mel Fuhrman – vocalsHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
- Jimmy GarrisonJimmy GarrisonJimmy Garrison was an American jazz double bassist born in Miami, Florida. He was best known through his long association with John Coltrane from 1961–1967.-Biography:...
– bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Elvin JonesElvin JonesElvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Dewey RedmanDewey RedmanDewey Redman was an American jazz saxophonist, known for performing free jazz as a bandleader, and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett....
– tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
Production
- Michael Cuscuna – liner notesLiner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
, reissue producer - Dave Sanders – engineer
- Francis WolffFrancis WolffFrancis Wolff was a record company executive, photographer and record producer....
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...