The Dave Liebman Group
Turnaround: The Music Of Ornette Coleman
Jazz Werkstatt Records
www.records-cd.com
By George W. Harris

Albums by or in tribute to Free Jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman tend to intimidate me, as they can easily devolve into mindless cacophonies. This one, for the most part, avoids those potholes, and focuses on Coleman’s impressive and underrated compositional skills. Except for the closing burp of “The Sky” the team of Liebman, Vic Juris/g, omy Marino/b and Marko Marcinko/dr keep the music quite accessible and surprisingly swinging. There are some highly boppish moments; Liebman’s tenor on “Enfant” and soprano on “Bird Food” bounce like a Super Ball, while “The Blessing” displays some playful moments. Juris brings his acoustic guitar to a surprisingly successful “Kathleen Gray” and a sensuous “Una Muy Bonita” while delivering some eerie electrical effects with Liebman’s flute on “Lonely Woman.” I was amazed how much I like this one. Something for the mainstreamer and the galactic explorer.