Well, let me first tell you how all this came about as everything you do in life has a connection in some way or another.
When I was asked in 2006 by David Murray to join the world saxophone quartet I knew nothing of the extended rhythm section band they had with them at that time, but me and the bass player Jamaaladeen Tacuma (formally with Ornette's primetime band) really hit it off, and he really liked my aproach and concept to the music we were playing at that time, and he told me that he's come up with a new project called Coltrane configuration's that he'd love to use me for. So in 2008 I joined Jamaaladeen Tacuma's Coltrane Configuration, we toured and record a live album which we're still touring on and off.
During the last tour of November 2009 Jamaaladeen told yet of another idea for a project he had in mind, this time he wanted to include the man who gave him his first break as an unknown 18 year old bass player, Ornette Coleman, he wanted to come full circle on his music journey, which for me would be a dream come true, because I had listened to Ornette so much as a teenager trying to self study the alto saxophone. Jamaaladeen told me that he'd like me to play on another voice and not the alto. Well then I thought that It would be Baritone or Soprano, no he said, it's non of those, well then I became very confused because I can't sing a note, hold paused and then told me he wanted me to play on Tenor saxophone, an intrument that I'd never considered ever playing, and he told me this in April of 2010 which you can imagine the shock on my face of being told that you have 2 choices of coming or not coming at all, learn the tenor saxopone and record with himself and Ornette Coleman, the father of the free jazz movement, may I say that at the time he told me that I didn't even own a tenor sax, I had to borrow one. So I decided on the latter and spent the last 2 months practising like it was my last day on planet earth in the local woodland nearby where I live, I spent 5/8 hours a day practising longtones and scales, sometimes more. It was like starting all over again, my one advantage was that I played the baritone and that I could apply some of the breathing and fingerings to make it sound half decent.
Well I was so driven that I went back and listened to all the tenor masters and continued building up my sound. I knew that I have to continue on this amazing journey of yet again playing with one of the greatest jazz musicians that is still alive and well, I had no choice and I don't like to have regrets in life. Ornette is 80 years old and if I didn't take this amazing offer to play with him then I'd regret it for the rest of my life, what have I got to lose?
I arrived in New York on Saturday the 19th of June and started rehearsing at Ornette's loft apartment on the 20th, it was an amazing yet frightening experience to be playing in front of one of you musical hero's, the section went on for 3 hours with one break, there are six musicians for this session and 5 of us are baking, Ornette hardly broke sweat in this heatwave we're having in New York. After 2 hours we took a well deserved break, he talked and we listened, he speaks very quietly so you really have to open your ears in order to take it in. I was having a musical lesson right there and took it all in.
We carried on for another hour then the reheasal came to a beautiful end. Ornette spoke of my style and sound on the tenor, and how different and refreshing it was to hear, and that I produced a great vibration which he said is my natrual sound, he gave me many ideas and tips. At the end of his comments I confessed that I'm really an alto player and this was my first time playing tenor in public. To his surprise he told me he'd have never known and told me to continue with my new found voice. Then we all moved into the next room to take some group photos of the whole band.
Today is the recording, I will walk into that studio with a very open mind and continue being in the moment which I have been throughout, the journey continues...
During the last tour of November 2009 Jamaaladeen Tacuma told me of another idea for a project he had in mind, this time he wanted to include the man who gave him his first break as an unknown 18 year old bass player, Ornette Coleman, he wanted to come full circle on his music journey, which for me would be a dream come true, because I had listened to Ornette so much as a teenager trying to self study on the alto saxophone. Jamaaladeen told me that he'd like me to play on another voice and not the alto. Well then I thought that It would be Baritone or Soprano, no he said, it's non of those, well then I became very confused because I can't sing a note, hold paused and then told me he wanted me to play on Tenor saxophone, an intrument that I'd never considered ever playing, and he told me this in April of 2010, which you can imagine the shock on my face of being told that you have 2 choices of coming or not coming at all, learn to sound like tenor saxophonist and record with himself and Ornette Coleman, the father of the free jazz movement, may I say that at the time he told me that I didn't even own a tenor sax, I had to borrow one. So I decided on the latter and spent the last 2 months practising like it was my last day on planet earth in the local woodland srea nearby where I live, I spent 5/8 hours a day practising longtones and scales, 2 hour with a towel in the bell of the horn and 2 hours out to be repeated again and again. It was like starting all over again, my one advantage was that I played the baritone and that I could apply some of the breathing and fingerings to make it sound half decent.
Well I was so driven that I went back and listened to all the tenor masters and continued building up my sound. I knew that I have to continue on this amazing journey of yet again playing with one of the greatest jazz musicians that is still alive and well and still performing in the top of his game, I had no choice and I don't like to have regrets in life. Ornette is 80 years old and if I didn't take this amazing offer to play and record with him then I'd regret it for the rest of my life, what have I got to lose?
I arrived in New York on Saturday the 19th of June and started rehearsing at Ornette's loft apartment on the sunday the 20th, it was an amazing yet frightening experience to be playing in front of one of your musical hero's, the session went on for 3 hours with one break, there are six musicians on this session and 5 of us are baking hot, Ornette hardly broke sweat in this heatwave we're having in New York. The music composed by Jamaaladeen is not written, we're having to learn it by ear and memorize it the old school way, Ornette blows a colour of notes with such beauty and his tradmark cry, so sweet and tender that I'm forced to stop and listen with closed eyes, sounds just like his old recordings. After 2 hours we took a well deserved break, he talked and we listened, he speaks very quietly so you really have to open your ears in order to take it in. I was having a musical lesson right there and took it all in. Teaching me how to break free of the limitations of your instrument, to play with a human sound and in any key.
We carried on for another hour then the reheasal came to a beautiful end. Ornette spoke of my style and sound on the tenor and it's uniqueness, and how different and refreshing it was to hear, and that I produced a great vibration which he said is my natural voice, he gave me many ideas and tips. At the end of his comments I confessed that I'm really an alto player and this was my first time playing tenor in public. To his surprise he told me he'd have never known and told me to continue with my new found voice. Then we all moved into the next room to take some group photos of the whole band.
Tomorrow is the recording, I will walk into that studio with a very open mind and continue being in the moment which I have been throughout, the journey continues...
Monday 21st June.
Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Bass/Leader)
Ornette Coleman (Alto Saxophone)
Wolfgang Puschnig (Flute & Arabic flutes)
Tony Kofi (Tenor Saxophone)
Yoichi Uzeki (Piano)
Justin Faulkner (Drums)
We all got to the studio around 2pm, Jamaaladeen went on ahead to collect Ornette from his home. The studio is one of New York's finest, very open plan with glass booth's with wooden design everywhere. I felt like I'd walked into a studio from the classic bluenote recording by Rudy Van gelder.
Later on Ornette walked in, looking full of life and joking around, talking about how to produce the best possible sound, the human sound and to think beyond your instrument. This 80 year old man was giving me his wisdom and great advice, something you need to hear just before you start recording.
We where put in the same recording booth, then it really hit me, I must get this right as they'll be no second takes of any of the tracks we're about to record, right there and then I locked into Ornette's and Jamaaladeen's vibe and totally became relaxed and at one with their amazing energy, in the end we cut 7 tracks which were all first takes, there were six musicians on this session and not one person asked for a second take, I've never done that before and it was such an amzaing feeling to have achieved that, and to think beyond your instrument has moved me into another sphere of my musical approach. This was truly one one the best musical experiences ever felt and an historic recording at that. I truly feel that after spending a weekend with the great man is a lesson in itself that cannot be bought or achieved through just watching from a distance, you'd have to be a part of it, I can say that I was a part of this with pride, and found a sense of peace that I'd been searching for in doing so.
The session ended with another album photo shoot, Ornette smiling, joking and looking a little tired from giving so much. He hugged and waved us all goodbye, wearing his trademark porkpie hat and slowly walking down the long White corridoor. Did I dream all ofl this? Guess I'll find out tomorrow morning.
Tony Kofi. 21/06/2010
