Harmolodics
Harmolodicsis amusical philosophyand method ofmusical compositionandimprovisationdeveloped by Americanjazzsaxophonist-composerOrnette Coleman.His work following this philosophy during the late 1970s and 1980s inspired a style of forward-thinkingjazz-funkknown asharmolodic funk.[1]It is associated withavant-garde jazzandfree jazz,although its implications extend beyond these limits. Coleman also used the name "Harmolodic" for both his first website and his record label.
Description
[edit]Coleman defined harmolodics as "the use of the physical and the mental of one's own logic made into an expression of sound to bring about the musical sensation ofunisonexecuted by a single person or with a group ". Applied to the particulars of music, this means that" harmony, melody, speed, rhythm, time and phrases all have equal position in the results that come from the placing and spacing of ideas ".[2](see:aspects of music)
Harmolodics seeks to free musical compositions from anytonalcenter, allowing harmonic progression independent of traditional European notions of tension and release (see:atonality). Harmolodics may loosely be defined as an expression of music in whichharmony,movement of sound, andmelodyall share the same value. The general effect is that music achieves an immediately open expression, without being constrained by tonal limitations, rhythmic pre-determination, or harmonic rules.
Ronald Radano suggests that Coleman's concepts of harmonic unison and harmolodics were influenced byPierre Boulez's theory ofaleatorywhileGunther Schullersuggested that harmolodics is based on the superimposition of the same or similarphrases,thus creatingpolytonalityandheterophony.[3]
Coleman had been preparing a book calledThe Harmolodic Theorysince at least the 1970s, but this remains unpublished. The only other known explanation of harmolodics that was written by Coleman is an article called "Prime Time for Harmolodics" (1983).
Proponents includeJames Blood UlmerandJamaaladeen Tacuma.[4]Ulmer, who played and toured with Coleman during the 1970s, has adopted harmolodics and applied the theories to his approach to jazz and blues guitar (for example,Harmolodic Guitar with Strings).
Record label
[edit]| Harmolodic Inc. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Ornette Coleman,Denardo Coleman |
| Distributor(s) | Verve/PolyGram |
| Genre | Jazz,spoken word |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Harlem,New York |
In 1995, Coleman and his son,Denardo,established the Harmolodic record label, which had a marketing and distribution arrangement withVerve/PolyGram.[5]The label released its first album, Coleman'sTone Dialing,in September 1995.[5]Harmolodic went on to release new albums by Coleman andJayne Cortez,and also reissued some of Coleman's previous albums. The label was based inHarlem,New York.[5]
Discography
[edit]| Catalog number | Artist | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5274832 | Ornette Colemanand Prime Time | Tone Dialing | 1995[6] |
| 5316572 | Ornette Coleman | Sound Museum: Three Women | 1996[7] |
| 5319142 | Ornette Coleman | Sound Museum: Hidden Man | 1996[8] |
| 5319162 | Ornette Coleman | Body Meta(reissue) | 1996[9] |
| 5319172 | Ornette Coleman | Soapsuds, Soapsuds(reissue) | 1996[10] |
| 5319182 | Jayne Cortez | Taking the Blues Back Home | 1996[11] |
| 5377892 | Ornette ColemanandJoachim Kühn | Colors: Live from Leipzig | 1997[12] |
| 5319152 | Ornette Coleman | In All Languages(reissue) | 1997[13] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Vincent, Rickey(2014)."Jazz-Funk Fusion: The Chameleon".Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One.St. Martin's Griffin.p. 147.ISBN978-1466884526.
- ^Coleman, Ornette. "Prime Time for Harmolodics".Down Beat,July 1983, pp. 54–55. Quoted in Gioia (1990), p. 43.
- ^Ronald M. Radano (1994).New Musical Figurations: Anthony Braxton's Cultural Critique,pp. 109, 109–110n97.ISBN9780226701950.
- ^Gioia, Ted (1990).The Imperfect Art: Reflections on Jazz and Modern Culture,p. 43.ISBN9780195063288.
- ^abcMacnie, Jim (September 16, 1995)."Harmolodic Label Is Pure Coleman".Billboard.BPI Communications: 1, 84.ISSN0006-2510.RetrievedAugust 10,2012.
- ^Tone DialingatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^Sound Museum: Three WomenatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^Sound Museum: Hidden ManatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^Body MetaatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^Soapsuds, SoapsudsatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^Taking the Blues Back HomeatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^Colors: Live from LeipzigatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^In All LanguagesatAllMusic.Retrieved August 10, 2012.
External links
[edit]- Harmolodic.comat theWayback Machine(archive index)
- DTM blog post