New York Is Now!
Ornette Coleman · 1968
47 min · 6 tracks · jazz
A vibrant exploration of free jazz, merging unconventional structures with a sense of urban spontaneity and emotional depth.
Top tracks — play these first
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The Garden of Souls Start here — This expansive opening track sets the tone for the album with its ambitious structure and emotive interplay among musicians, highlighting Coleman's signature style.
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Broad Way Blues — The track captures a quintessentially urban soundscape with its blues-infused elements, showcasing Coleman's ability to bridge traditional jazz with avant-garde experimentation.
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We Now Interrupt for a Commercial — In this shorter piece, Coleman uses satire to comment on contemporary culture, blending humor with avant-garde sensibilities in an unexpected way.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
InstrumentalThe album showcases innovative structures and improvisation, marking a significant evolution in Coleman's free jazz approach.
What we noticed
- The first track features a complex interplay between the saxophone and trumpet, with each musician responding to the other's phrases in real-time.
- The album includes abrupt tempo shifts, particularly noticeable in 'Toy Dance', where the rhythm changes mid-phrase.
- Several tracks feature extended improvisation sections that diverge significantly from traditional jazz forms, emphasizing spontaneity.
- Composition 25% of the score
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8/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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9/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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5/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady pace with gradual resolution
- urban themes in vibrant sound
- immersive experience of improvisation
- deep listening for detail
- explorative journey through sound
Maybe skip if you
- prefer instant gratification tracks
- seek predictable song structures
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Critical Peak — Represents an innovative approach, influencing future generations in free jazz.
- Career context
- Released in 1968, New York Is Now! marks Ornette Coleman's return to the studio after a four-year hiatus. This album follows his landmark work, The Shape of Jazz to Come, and showcases his continued evolution into the avant-garde movement while also reflecting the socio-political landscape of New York City at the time.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Albert Ayler· John Coltrane· Cecil Taylor
Tracklist
- 1 The Garden of Souls Start here 14:00
- 2 Toy Dance 7:28
- 3 Broad Way Blues 8:43
- 4 Broad Way Blues (alternate version) 7:35
- 5 Round Trip 6:18
- 6 We Now Interrupt for a Commercial 3:19
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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