Ornette! (Incl. 1 Bonus Track) (1961)

"Recorded a little over a month after his groundbreaking work "Free Jazz", this album found Coleman perhaps retrenching from that idea conceptually, but nonetheless plumbing his quartet music to ever greater heights of richness and creativity. This was the first recording of bassist Scott LaFaro with Coleman, and the difference between LaFaro and Charlie Haden is apparent from the first notes of "W.R.U." There's a more direct propulsion and limberness to his playing, and he can be heard driving Coleman and Don Cherry actively, more aggressively than Haden's warm, languid phrasing. The cuts, with titles derived from the works of Sigmund Freud, are all gems and serve as wonderful launching pads for the musicians' improvisations. Coleman, by this time, was very comfortable in extended pieces, never coming close to running out of ideas. This is also one of Ed Blackwell's finest performances. "Ornette!" is a superb release and a must for all his fans and of creatively improvised music." (Brian Olewnick, Allmusic)