244: “Zig Zag” by Ornette Coleman
December 19, 2011 Leave a comment
Whether or not you like “free jazz,” this song, “Zig Zag,” has an interesting hook: the free jazz pioneer, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, is accompanied by his then 10-year-old son Denardo on drums.
It’s just a (world-renowned musician) father playing with his young son (oh, and Charlie Haden on bass). Listen to the playfulness of Ornette’s melodies and the young drummer imitating his father’s unstructured musical pursuit. You should also know it wasn’t the publicity stunt of an absentee parent. Denardo has been one of Ornette’s primary drummers since the 70’s.
The Empty Foxhole was released in 1966. On it, Ornette Coleman also plays trumpet and violin in addition to his alto sax. He doesn’t know how to play the violin, but if people will pay to listen to him make noise with it, then I guess he knows how to use it. Here’s a great article from AllAboutJazz about the album.
Open up your ear holes, and enjoy some free jazz family fun.
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