Charlee Ellerbe recounts his early music training in his home town of Philadelphia, how he became a member of Prime Time and the experience of working with Ornette.
Charlee began working with Ornette and Prime Time in 1975.
Left to right – Charlee Ellerbe, Ornette Coleman, Bern Nix
Contact info for Charlee: ellerbeat AT gmail DOT com
Video courtesy of Jazz Bridge, a nonprofit that aids Philadelphia professional jazz and blues musicians in crisis.
Starting in the 1960s, filmmaker Shirley Clarke began a film about the life and art of Ornette Coleman. After a hiatus, the project was resumed in the 1980s, updated and released theatrically in 1985.
“As he introduced Silvie to the audience, Ornette stated that ‘Music is a system of belief that everyone has automatically.’ “
Opera singer Silvie Jensen recalls her experience of performing with Ornette at the The Barbican, London. March 23, 2001 and the events leading up to it.
This article entitled “Ornette Coleman: The First Beginning” originally appeared in Downbeat Magazine on July 21, 1960.
It’s a document of the lonely struggle Ornette endured to find colleagues and commercial support for his music during his years in LA. It recounts the details of who helped him and how his first record “Something Else!” came into being.
Ella Fitzgerald