Ornette Coleman
Kozmigroov Albums
Science Fiction [Columbia, 1971]
Broken Shadows [Columbia, 1982 (recorded in 1971)]
Skies of America [Columbia, 1972]
Dancing In Your Head [A&M, 1977]
Body Meta [Artists House, 1975]
Of Human Feelings [Antilles, 1979]
Opening The Caravan of Dreams [Caravan of Dreams, 1983]
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[On Science Fiction], the track "Rock the Clock" is definitely a classic kosmigroov moment, with wah bass and Ornette playing some pretty cosmic violin. And the track "Science Fiction" has some poet reading in a doomy, heavily delayed voice while the band does a group improv. All in all pretty mindbending. The rest of the album is great too (but not particularly kosmigroovy). "Civilization Day" and "Street Woman" are both awesome in a hard-bop-on-acid sort of way. [MK]

There's definitely a bridge from earlier Ornette approaches [to his free funk recordings] -- constant movement, shifting tonal centers due to the fact that the improvs play off lines and motifs rather than chords, real wiry and spiky -- not a smoov groov at all. I love it, Dancing In Your Head and Body Meta show me something different with each listen even years later, but they're definitely not to all tastes, and even some serious electric jazz fans I know have problems with 'em. If you're interested and find yourself digging this angle, it's also worth investigating the Blood Ulmer and Shannon Jackson albums from around the same time. [KM]

Science Fiction has become my fave Ornette record; certainly one of the few that has anything like a decent production - that was always the thing that turned me off those early Prime Times - cardboard box drums, absolutely no dynamic, but i guess that's how the man wanted them..."Rock the Clock" is an absolute fucking monster, and the two ballads are meltingly gorgeous. Body Meta, Dancing In Your Head and Of Human Feelings are a 'bit spastic'... too much for these ears anyway, mainly due to the production which seem to erase any kind of dynamic from the music. The Live at the Caravan of Dreams set is much more powerful and some of it is extremely funky in a falling down the stairs kind of fashion. [PM]