Rabble Without A Cause
Wednesday March 28th, 2012 with Bernard Stepien
Ornette Coleman classic: Something Else, 1958

For about 10 years, Ornette Coleman’s peers thought that he didn’t know the changes and was out of tune. In a way they may not be totally wrong but where they were wrong is that they didn’t realize that you can play music with other musical principles as changes and playing in tune may be highly boring. In fact, Ornette was after freedom as a free and continuous flow of ideas with the only preoccupation to carry emotions. Most people think that Ornette’s music is highly abstract. In fact, it is very much straight ahead Be Bop in dynamics and phrasing. Technically it is a case of destabilized II-V-I (a favorite Be Bop structural element). The freedom adds an element of unpredictability that is the best insurance against boredom. Tonight’s featured album, Something Else, reflects the exceptional energy resulting from this freedom to go anywhere in the musical world.