The Shape of Jazz to Come

The Shape of Jazz to Come
Studio album by
Ornette Coleman
ReleasedNovember 1959 (1959-11)[1][2]
RecordedMay 22, 1959
StudioRadio Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length37:59
LabelAtlantic 1317
ProducerNesuhi Ertegun
Ornette Coleman chronology
Tomorrow Is the Question!
(1959) 		The Shape of Jazz to Come
(1959) 		Change of the Century
(1960)

The Shape of Jazz to Come is the third album by the jazz musician Ornette Coleman. Released on Atlantic Records in 1959, it was his debut on the label and his first album featuring the working quartet including himself, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins.[3] The recording session for the album took place on May 22, 1959, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California.[4] Although Coleman initially wished for the album to be titled Focus on Sanity after the LP's fourth track, Atlantic producer Nesuhi Ertegun suggested the final title, feeling that it would give consumers "an idea about the uniqueness of the LP."[4]

In 2012, the Library of Congress added the album to the National Recording Registry.[5] The album was included in the Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[6] AllMusic called it one of the 20 essential free jazz albums.[7] The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.[8]

  1. ^ "November Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. 21 November 1959. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  2. ^ "The Shape of Jazz to Come". The Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Co. 9 November 1959. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  3. ^ Litweiler, John. "II." Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life. New York: W. Morrow, 1992. 67. Print.
  4. ^ a b Kaplan, Fred M. "Ch. 22 – The Shape of Jazz to Come." 1959: The Year Everything Changed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. 198–211. Print.
  5. ^ "About This Program – National Recording Preservation Board | Programs | Library of Congress". Loc.gov. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
  6. ^ "Rolling Stone – the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)".
  7. ^ Kelsey, C. Free Jazz: A Subjective History accessed August 25, 2011
  8. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". GRAMMY.org. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved 2015-06-12.