Opening the Caravan of Dreams

Opening the Caravan of Dreams is a 1985 live album by jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman and his Prime Time ensemble. It was recorded at a concert inaugurating the Caravan of Dreams, a then-newly opened performing arts center in Coleman's hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.^[2]

Opening the Caravan of Dreams
Live album by Ornette Coleman
Released	1985
Recorded	1985
Venue	Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth
Genre	Jazz, harmolodic funk[1]
Length	36:21
Label	Caravan Of Dreams Productions
Ornette Coleman chronology
Of Human Feelings (1982) Opening the Caravan of Dreams (1985) Prime Design/Time Design (1985)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Village Voice	A−[4]

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said Opening the Caravan of Dreams "lacks the studio-engendered beginning-middle-end that focuses Of Human Feelings and for that matter Metheny/Coleman's Song X. When it threatens to break altogether 'free,' its risks seem more like entropy than thrills and chills. But it's a live album showcasing one of the great improvisers, as well as musicians who never sound more authoritative than when following his orders."^[4] Robert Palmer wrote in The New York Times, "The event lent the music a certain raw edge and a bluesy vitality. But it also attains an impressive clarity; in many ways, it's a more openly accessible piece of work than the thick, thundering group improvisations heard on the Coleman-Pat Metheny Song X album."^[2] Scott Yanow later wrote in a review published by AllMusic, "this was the leading 'free funk' band of the 1980s, and this LP, which is worth a search by open-eared listeners, gives one a definitive look into the group's unusual music".^[3]

Track listing

Side one

1. "To Know What To Know" – 8:03
2. "Harmolodic-Bebop" – 6:17
3. "Sex Spy" – 5:43

Side two

1. "City Living" – 6:15
2. "Seethru" – 4:35
3. "Compute" – 9:01

Personnel

Ornette Coleman and Prime Time at the Caravan of Dreams in 1985

• Denardo Coleman – Drums
• Ornette Coleman – Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Violin
• Charlie Ellerbie – Guitar
• Sabir Kamal – Drums
• Albert MacDowell – Bass
• Bern Nix – Guitar
• Jamaaladeen Tacuma – Bass

References

1. Anon. (November 15, 1986). "Reviews". Billboard. p. 88. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
2. Palmer, Robert (July 16, 1986). "The Pop Life; Ornette Coleman's Music Develops in Prime Time". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
3. Yanow, Scott. Ornette Coleman & Prime Time – Opening the Caravan of Dreams > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
4. Christgau, Robert (February 3, 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 6, 2016.

External links

• Opening the Caravan of Dreams at Discogs (list of releases)