Ornette Coleman – To Whom Who Keeps a Record Atlantic P-10085A (1975)
An “odds and sods” type collection of old/outtake material recorded for Atlantic Records from sessions in October 1959 and July 1960 that wasn’t already purged from the vaults on The Art of the Improvisers and Twins. Some blistering moments are to be found, and most musicians would die for rejects this good, but by and large the performances are flawed. For instance, the opener “Music Always” features a listless bebop ride by drummer Billy Higgins that is stiff and leaden. Yet “To Us” and “P.S. Unless One Has (Blues Connotation No. 2)” are high-quality cuts, the latter falling only slightly shy of the issued take of “Blues Connotation” on This Is Our Music. Fans will enjoy this in spite of its uneven qualities (all the songs are included on the box set Beauty Is a Rare Thing), but there are much better Coleman albums to explore.