Atlantic Jazz: The Avant Garde (1986)

About this title: Part of a 12-volume set of LPs that covered Atlantic's history of jazz slotted into neat little genre labels, Atlantic Jazz: The Avant Garde is not an entirely satisfying disc. Partially this is because most of the artists represented here -- including Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, and Don Cherry -- did their most exploratory and adventurous work for other labels. Atlantic Records was no ESP-Disk, and even their most out-there records were more rooted in convention than most. That said, it's hard to fault the material included here, like a 12-minute take on Charles Mingus' "Wednesday Night ... read more

Tracks:

1. Black Mystery Has Been Revealed [Kirk]
2. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting [Mingus]
3. Eventually [Coleman]
4. Lonely Woman [Coleman]
5. Cherryco [Cherry]
6. Countdown [Coltrane]
7. The Inflated Tear [Kirk]
8. Nonaah [Mitchell]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.