Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The second album by Ornette Coleman's legendary quartet featuring Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins, Change of the Century is every bit the equal of the monumental The Shape of Jazz to Come, showcasing a group that was growing ever more confident in its revolutionary approach and the chemistry in the bandmembers' interplay. When Coleman concentrates on melody, his main themes are catchier, and when the pieces emphasize group interaction, the improvisation is freer. Two of Coleman's most memorable classic compositions are here in their original forms -- "Ramblin'" has all the swing and swagger of the blues, and "Una Muy Bonita" is oddly disjointed, its theme stopping and starting in totally unexpected places; both secure their themes to stable, pedal-point bass figures. The more outside group improv pieces are frequently just as fascinating; "Free," for example, features a double-tongued line that races up and down in free time before giving way to the ensemble's totally spontaneous inventions. The title cut is a frantic, way-out mélange of cascading lines that nearly trip over themselves, brief stabs of notes in the lead voices, and jarringly angular intervals -- it must have infuriated purists who couldn't even stomach Coleman's catchiest tunes. Coleman was frequently disparaged for not displaying the same mastery of instrumental technique and harmonic vocabulary as his predecessors, but his aesthetic prized feeling and expression above all that anyway. Maybe that's why Change of the Century bursts with such tremendous urgency and exuberance -- Coleman was hitting his stride and finally letting out all the ideas and emotions that had previously been constrained by tradition. That vitality makes it an absolutely essential purchase and, like The Shape of Jazz to Come, some of the most brilliant work of Coleman's career.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From €13,50/month
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Nesuhi Ertegun, Producer - Billy Higgins, Drums - Ornette Coleman, Composer, Alto Saxophone, MainArtist - Charlie Haden, Double Bass - Don Cherry, Cornet
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Album review
The second album by Ornette Coleman's legendary quartet featuring Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins, Change of the Century is every bit the equal of the monumental The Shape of Jazz to Come, showcasing a group that was growing ever more confident in its revolutionary approach and the chemistry in the bandmembers' interplay. When Coleman concentrates on melody, his main themes are catchier, and when the pieces emphasize group interaction, the improvisation is freer. Two of Coleman's most memorable classic compositions are here in their original forms -- "Ramblin'" has all the swing and swagger of the blues, and "Una Muy Bonita" is oddly disjointed, its theme stopping and starting in totally unexpected places; both secure their themes to stable, pedal-point bass figures. The more outside group improv pieces are frequently just as fascinating; "Free," for example, features a double-tongued line that races up and down in free time before giving way to the ensemble's totally spontaneous inventions. The title cut is a frantic, way-out mélange of cascading lines that nearly trip over themselves, brief stabs of notes in the lead voices, and jarringly angular intervals -- it must have infuriated purists who couldn't even stomach Coleman's catchiest tunes. Coleman was frequently disparaged for not displaying the same mastery of instrumental technique and harmonic vocabulary as his predecessors, but his aesthetic prized feeling and expression above all that anyway. Maybe that's why Change of the Century bursts with such tremendous urgency and exuberance -- Coleman was hitting his stride and finally letting out all the ideas and emotions that had previously been constrained by tradition. That vitality makes it an absolutely essential purchase and, like The Shape of Jazz to Come, some of the most brilliant work of Coleman's career.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 7 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:22
- Main artists: Ornette Coleman
- Composer: Ornette Coleman
- Label: Rhino Atlantic
- Genre: Jazz
© 1959 Atlantic Records ℗ 1959 Atlantic Records. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.