Orchestre National de Jazz

Recalling and reinterpreting historic compositions by Jazz icons has a long history. But too often the number of luminaries and tunes preferred are limited, with for instance numberless salutes to Miles, Trane and Monk. Now it seems Ornette Coleman (1930-2015) has entered the canon. Still Dancing in Your Head(s) proves that it’s the Paris-based Orchestre National de Jazz (ONJ) which has gone furthest in modifying Coleman’s works.

Using seven Coleman themes – plus one composition each from Eric Dolphy and Julius Hemphill – orchestrated by Fred Pallem, ONJ artistic director/guitarist Frédéric Maurin and the 14-member ensemble emphasize the festive and funky side of Coleman’s tunes. Considering the alto saxophonist usually recorded with bands no larger than sextets, the additional brass and reeds amplify the compositions’ colors as do rhythmic textures from electric guitars, bas and keyboard

Additionally, New York alto saxophonist Tim Berne is present on three tunes. He joins the group for a near symphonic, formalistic and Arcadian version of “Kathelin Gray”; contributing unexpected suggestions of other themes to an almost lugubrious version of “Lonely Woman”, which perks up when his boiling licks meet guitar shakes, plunger brass and reed flutters; and decisively on “Dogon A.D.”. Composed by Hemphill, Berne’s mentor, the ONJ emphasizes backbeat groove and funky thickness here. This thickness comes from near Metal riffs from the electrified rhythm section plus heavy drum chops, as the horns vamp the theme in between Berne’s trilling solo and bugle-like brassiness from trumpeter Susana Santos Silva.

Moving the Coleman conceptions from harmolodic to melodic, the ONJ produces some passages that could be soundtrack material and unify modern big band extended riffs. Pastel colors also replace Coleman’s hard-edged or pentimento compositional concepts. While guitarists Pierre Durand and Maurin, electric bassist Sylvain Daniel and keyboardist Bruno Ruder often head to emphasized fusion or funk riffs, horn solos cleave to the advanced Jazz traditions. Among them are fervent double tonguing and upwards squeals from tenor saxophonist Fabien Debellefontaine on “Feet music”, plus some equivalent honking and split tone screeching from tenor saxophonist Julien Soro on “Good Old Days”, which helps overcome the 1940s big band orientation of the charts, and works up to an explosive climax that’s more Blues than Basie. Baritone saxophonist Morgane Carnet and alto saxophonist Anna-Lena Schnabel speed up the concluding “Theme from a symphony” as an alternate to the full-band exploration of the narrative, with electric instrumentally finally pushing prestissimo variations and a Rock-like stop-time ending.

Properly saluting the Coleman oeuvre in a unique fashion, Dancing in Your Head(s) is also a superior example of how the ONJ operates.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Feet music 2. Jump Street 3. City Living 4. Good Old Days 5. Something sweet, something tender 6. Dogon A.D.*7. Lonely Woman* 8. Kathelin Gray* 9. Theme from a symphony

Personnel: Susana Santos Silva (trumpet); Fabien Norbert (trumpet, flugelhorn); Daniel Zimmermann (trombone); Judith Wekstein (bass trombone); Mathilde Fèvre (French horn); Tim Berne (alto saxophone)*; Jean-Michel Couchet (soprano, alto saxophones); Anna-Lena Schnabel (alto saxophone, flute); Julien Soro (tenor saxophone); Fabien Debellefontaine (tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo); Morgane Carnet (baritone saxophone); Bruno Ruder (Fender Rhodes); Pierre Durand, Frédéric Maurin (guitars); Sylvain Daniel (electric bass); Rafaël Koerner (drums)