This post is by Dan
Recorded August 27, 28 and 30, 1987
This remarkable album reunites three members of the original Ornette Coleman quartet, which debuted in the late 1950s. The saxophone chair is occupied by veteran Texas tenor, James Clay, who typically plays in a style bearing little resemblance to Ornette's. It is fascinating to hear him tackle the challenges of Coleman's early music. Clay is also featured on the more conventional material - "Body and Soul" and "I've Grown Accustomed to Your [sic] Face." Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins also contribute original tunes and are given their featured spots.
The high point of the album for me is Don Cherry's title tune, programmed first. After a short fanfare, the rhythm section kicks in behind the leader who plays a simple but very cool theme. The solos are separated by a return of the fanfare each time. "Art Deco" has been covered by numerous other artists, including Enrico Rava, Ryan Kisor, Frank Lowe, Avishai Cohen, Dave Ballou, and Carlos Ward. Vocalist Sheila Jordan even supplied lyrics to the tune. For me, it's a jazz classic.
As the cover photo shows, Cherry plays a small horn, known as a pocket trumpet. This instrument paired with Ornette's plastic alto sax helped to define the sound of Coleman's first groups.
Art Deco was produced by John Snyder as part of A&M's Modern Masters Jazz Series. A sign of the times, this series sought to ride the resurgent wave of jazz in the 1980s. In contrast to many labels that focused on restoring traditional jazz, A&M recorded albums by Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Art Blakey, Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, and Dizzy Gillespie. Not all of these albums received critical acclaim, but the label's heart was in the right place.
Of course, like most jazz-related projects, the Modern Masters series only lasted a couple of years. But at least we got Don Cherry's wonderful Art Deco (and Multikulti from 1990) and a few other gems.
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