Lonely Woman (composition)

"Lonely Woman" is a jazz composition by Ornette Coleman. Coleman's recording of it was the opening track on his 1959 Atlantic Records album The Shape of Jazz to Come. Alongside Coleman's alto saxophone, the recording featured Don Cherry on cornet, Charlie Haden on double bass and Billy Higgins on drums.

For other uses, see Lonely Woman.
"Lonely Woman"
Instrumental by Ornette Coleman
from the album The Shape of Jazz to Come
Released1959 (1959)
RecordedMay 22, 1959
Length4:59
LabelAtlantic (1317)
Composer(s)Ornette Coleman
Producer(s)Nesuhi Ertegun

Origin

In an interview with Jacques Derrida, Coleman spoke of the origin of the composition:

Before becoming known as a musician, when I worked in a big department store, one day, during my lunch break, I came across a gallery where someone had painted a very rich white woman who had absolutely everything that you could desire in life, and she had the most solitary expression in the world. I had never been confronted with such solitude, and when I got back home, I wrote a piece that I called "Lonely Woman."[1]

Other versions

Haden and Cherry revisited the song on Old and New Dreams (ECM, 1979), Haden doing so again on Etudes (1987) and In Angel City (1988).

Pianist John Lewis first recorded the song in January 1962 with the Modern Jazz Quartet for their album of the same name which was one of the earliest recorded covers of a Coleman number.[2][3] Later that year, in July, Lewis recorded it again for his album European Encounter.[4]

Vocal versions, with lyrics written by Margo Guryan, have been recorded by Chris Connor (1962), Freda Payne (1964, on After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!) and Carola Standertskjöld (1966).

YearPerformerAlbumSource
1962Modern Jazz QuartetLonely Woman[2][3]
1965Denny Zeitlin with Charlie HadenShining Hour[5]
1968Helen Merrill and Dick KatzA Shade of Difference
1969Marzette Watts with Patty WatersThe Marzette Watts Ensemble
1971Zurich International Festival All-StarsFrom Europe with Jazz
1974Lester Bowie with Julius HemphillFast Last![5]
1979Old and New Dreams with Charlie HadenOld and New Dreams[5]
1982Masayuki TakayanagiLonely Womandiscogs
1983Pat MethenyRejoicingThe CD
1984Jaki ByardPhantasies
1987Charlie Haden with Paul Motian and Geri AllenEtudes
1987Kronos QuartetWhite Man Sleeps
1987Branford Marsalis with Kenny KirklandRandom Abstract[5]
1988Charlie HadenIn Angel City
1989Charlie HadenThe Montreal Tapes: with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell
1990John Zorn with Bill FrisellNaked City[5]
19928 Bold SoulsSideshow
1995The Denison/Kimball TrioSoul Machine
1997Andy SummersThe Last Dance of Mr. X[6]
1998J. D. AllenIn Search Of[5]
2002Greg MalcolmHomesick for Nowhere[7]
2005Joshua RedmanMomentum
2007Basquiat StringsBasquiat Strings
2011Archie Shepp and Joachim KühnWoman
2011Brad Mehldau and Kevin HaysModern Music
2013Benoît Delbecq and Fred HerschFun House

References
  1. . Derrida Interviews Coleman accessed October 4, 2014
  2. jazzdisco.org entry for Lonely Woman accessed March 14, 2018
  3. Cook, S. Allmusic Review accessed June 6, 2012
  4. jazzdisco.org entry for European Encounter accessed March 14, 2018
  5. Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 239–240. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
  6. Robinson, Matthew. "The Last Dance of Mr. X". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  7. Theakston, Rob. "Homesick for Nowhere". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 April 2020.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.