Soprano saxophonist
Joe Rosenberg, along with bassist Michael Silverman, drummer Bobby Lurie, and guest tenor
Dewey Redman, present an energetic set of
Ornette Coleman originals. These six tracks spotlight the early
Coleman quartet, pre-
Dewey Redman (who joined
Ornette in 1967). Recorded live in San Francisco in 1995, this ensemble picks up where
Old and New Dreams (an earlier
Coleman offshoot with original quartet members
Don Cherry,
Charlie Haden, and
Ed Blackwell, plus
Redman) left off. Affinity does not just blindly recreate
Coleman's music note for note (an idea
Coleman would no doubt shun). The musicians are absorbed in stating
Coleman's memorable themes only as a starting point, then cutting them loose into unchartered free bop territory. The absence of alto saxophone and pocket trumpet should be noted. ~ Al Campbell