Lonely Woman (composition) explained

Lonely Woman
Type:instrumental
Artist:Ornette Coleman
Album:The Shape of Jazz to Come
Recorded:May 22, 1959
Label:Atlantic (1317)
Composer:Ornette Coleman
Producer:Nesuhi Ertegun

"Lonely Woman" is a jazz composition by Ornette Coleman. Coleman's recording of it was the opening track on his 1959 Atlantic Records album The Shape of Jazz to Come. Alongside Coleman's alto saxophone, the recording featured Don Cherry on cornet, Charlie Haden on double bass and Billy Higgins on drums.

Origin

In an interview with Jacques Derrida, Coleman spoke of the origin of the composition:

Other versions

Haden and Cherry revisited the song on Old and New Dreams (ECM, 1979), Haden doing so again on Etudes (1987) and In Angel City (1988).

Pianist John Lewis first recorded the song in January 1962 with the Modern Jazz Quartet for their album of the same name which was one of the earliest recorded covers of a Coleman number.[1] [2] Later that year, in July, Lewis recorded it again for his album European Encounter.[3]

Vocal versions, with lyrics written by Margo Guryan, have been recorded by Chris Connor (1962), Freda Payne (1964, on After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!) and Carola Standertskjöld (1966).

Year Performer Album Source
1962 Lonely Woman
1965 Shining Hour [4]
1968 A Shade of Difference
1969 The Marzette Watts Ensemble [5]
1971 Zurich International Festival All-Stars From Europe with Jazz
1974 Fast Last!
1977 Hugh HopperHopper Tunity Box
1979 Old and New Dreams with Charlie HadenOld and New Dreams
1982 Lonely Woman discogs
1982 Bangception
1984 Phantasies
1987 Etudes
1987 White Man Sleeps
1987 Random Abstract
1988 Charlie Haden In Angel City
1989 Charlie Haden
1990 Naked City
1992 Sideshow [6]
1992Radka ToneffLive in Hamburg (recorded 1981)[7]
1995 Soul Machine
1998 In Search Of
2002 Homesick for Nowhere [8]
2005 Momentum
2005 Tara's Song
2005 Perles Noires Volume 1
2007 Basquiat Strings
2009 Remembering Weather Report https://www.allaboutjazz.com/remembering-weather-report-miroslav-vitous-ecm-records-review-by-john-kelman.php
2011 Woman
2011 Brad Mehldau and Kevin HaysModern Music
2013 Fun House

Notes and References

  1. https://www.jazzdisco.org/the-modern-jazz-quartet/catalog/#atlantic-lp-1381 jazzdisco.org entry for Lonely Woman
  2. Cook, S. Allmusic Review accessed June 6, 2012
  3. https://www.jazzdisco.org/atlantic-records/discography-1962/ jazzdisco.org entry for European Encounter
  4. Book: Gioia. Ted. The Jazz Standards. 2012. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 978-0-19-993739-4. 239–240.
  5. Web site: Marzette Watts . Jazz Music Archives . July 10, 2022.
  6. Web site: 8 Bold Souls: Sideshow . Jazz Music Archives . July 11, 2022.
  7. Web site: Radka Toneff: Live in Hamburg. 2021-05-03. Grappa.no. en-US.
  8. Web site: Theakston. Rob. Homesick for Nowhere. AllMusic. 29 April 2020. 25 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210425184037/https://www.allmusic.com/album/homesick-for-nowhere-mw0001894092. live.