''Dancing in Your Head'' is a studio album by jazz artist

Ornette Coleman Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Jazz: A Colle ...

, released in 1977 by Horizon Records.

Recording

"Theme from a Symphony" was the first recording to feature Coleman's electric band, which later became known as

Prime Time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

. The symphony referenced is Coleman's own '' Skies of America''. William S. Burroughs was present for the recording of "Midnight Sunrise", which was recorded with

the Master Musicians of Jajouka The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar (sometimes written as ...featuring Bachir Attar) are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective includes m ...

in 1973. The compact disc reissue features an alternate take of this composition, which is not present on the vinyl or earlier CD issue.

Release

''Dancing in Your Head'' was released originally on A&M Records, but it was re- mastered and re-released in 2000 on A&M/

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

/ Universal Records. Its catalog number is 543 519.

Critical reception

''Dancing in Your Head'' was voted the 15th best album of the year in '' The Village Voice''s annual Pazz & Jop critics poll for 1977. It was the first album by a jazz artist to make the poll.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

, the poll's creator, ranked it number 11 on his own year-end list. The album was identified by Chris Kelsey in his Allmusic essay "Free Jazz: A Subjective History" as one of the 20 Essential Free Jazz Albums.Kelsey, C
Free Jazz: A Subjective History
accessed December 7, 2009.

Legacy

"Midnight Sunrise" was featured in the film '' Naked Lunch'', an allusion to the fact that William S. Burroughs, the author of the book of the same name, which the film is partially based on, was present during the recording sessions of this composition.

Track listing

Notes *''The alternate take to "Midnight Sunrise" was a bonus track on the 2000 CD edition.''

Personnel

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

Bern Nix Bern Nix (September 21, 1947 – May 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. He recorded and performed with Ornette Coleman from 1975 to 1987, notably with guitarist Charlie Ellerbee in Coleman's Prime Time group on their key recordings, inc ...

- 1st lead guitar * Charlie Ellerbee - 2nd lead guitar * Rudy McDaniel - Bass guitar *

Shannon Jackson Shannon Jackson is the Cyrus and Michelle Hadidi Professor of Rhetoric and of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and former Associate Vice Chancellor of Art and Design. She also serves as Program Direct ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful, soulful voice and wikt:sartorial, sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining Soul music, so ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

on "Midnight Sunrise" * Master Musicians of Jajouka on "Midnight Sunrise"

References

External links

* '' The Wire''′
"100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening)"
at Discogs {{Authority control Ornette Coleman albums Horizon Records albums 1975 albums Free jazz albums