Ornette Coleman and Prime Time :: Virgin Beauty
Photo: David Gahr
There’s no psychedelia without jazz, and there’s no jazz without the godfather of free jazz, the one and only Ornette Coleman. A fundamental figure whose work has transcended space, time, and beyond, Coleman’s iconic and intimate importance in the world of music is sincerely something out of this world. A trailblazer who remained a spiritual student for half a century while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of his craft, sonic spirit, and poetic presence in music, he truly captured the esoteric essence of human expression like no other. Similar to Sun Ra or Miles Davis, you can’t imagine a reality without his intense input, or that searing poetic perfection not puncturing the fragile fabrics of reality during a time when race wars, injustices, the exchange of cultural chaos, and the expansion of human consciousness conquered in the decades prior, and of course, in the decades ahead. Anyway, let’s attempt to move forward as we peel back a few liberating layers of that infamous glass onion whose stinging vapors burn the reader’s eyes and drain the ears, as the artistic atmosphere evaporates into a melodic mist. Coleman’s 1988 iconic improv fusion classic “Virgin Beauty” may not be the first album in your rotation when traveling back in time to solve the mysteries and metaphysical material embedded in the spiritual stone of the late multi-instrumentalist and his monumental discography. And while that’s a fair tactic when approaching the legend’s critical catalog, which dates back to the late 1950s with groundbreaking releases like “Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation”, “Ornette!”, “Science Fiction”, and“Town Hall, 1962”, to name a few, this particular piece of the puzzle stands as a meeting of the minds like no other. Marking one of Coleman’s most commercially successful albums in his entire repertoire, “Virgin Beauty” cries out under the sunbaked sky as iconic instrumentation severs the delicate line that rests below the lip of a subtle sunset, just below the cosmic ceiling, which melts into the melodic midnight. The album features a brilliant cast of musicians, such as Coleman’s one and only son, Denardo Coleman, who graciously sat behind the throne; Albert MacDowell, Chris Walker, Calvin Weston, and, of course, Jerry Garcia, whose death anniversary just reached its 31st year since his passing in 1995.
Photo: Frans Schellekens/Redferns
Having established the free funk band Prime Time back in 1975, “Virgin Beauty” carefully captures the brilliant balance and creative chaos that ultimately highlights that transcendent timing Coleman was so widely recognized for. Whether it’s locating the perfect pocket or taking the melodies to the outer limits and back before the dinner bell rings, the album truly stands as this bold body of songs that should ultimately be acknowledged when considering any of Coleman’s later works. By the end of the 1980s, both jazz and psychedelic rock had reached their official peak as everyone was older and had further advanced their creative careers, which is a beautiful thing given the electrifying environment and how many turned out over the years. Three of the eleven tracks feature the Dead band leader Jerry Garcia, whose involvement in the project dates back to the previous year when Coleman, along with his son and the mighty Cecil Taylor, attended a Grateful Dead show. Shortly after the show, Coleman invited Garcia to join him and the band on what would become the “Virgin Beauty” sessions. Just a few short years before Garcia’s death in August of 1995, Coleman and his Prime Time opened for the Dead in Oakland, where they played with the band during the epic experience of “Space Jam”. As we said earlier, this meeting of minds, while not unheard of, is truly symbolic of two greats coming together as fans of each other’s work, setting out to secure a poetic product at the end of the day, while simultaneously establishing a friendship through the mediation of music and sacrifice to sound. May they both rest in peace.
