Virgin Beauty

Virgin Beauty is an album by Ornette Coleman and his Prime Time ensemble. It was released by Portrait Records in 1988.

Virgin Beauty
Studio album by Ornette Coleman
Released	February 18, 1988
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:49
Label	Portrait
Producer	Denardo Coleman
Ornette Coleman chronology
In All Languages (1987) Virgin Beauty (1988) Tone Dialing (1995)

Three of the album's tracks feature guitarist Jerry Garcia, whose involvement with the recording can be traced back to September 1987, when Coleman, his son Denardo, and Cecil Taylor, attended a Grateful Dead concert.^[1] Following the concert, Coleman invited Garcia to the recording session for Virgin Beauty.^[1] In February 1993, Prime Time opened for the Dead at a show in Oakland, and Coleman participated in the Dead's "space jam" portion of the concert.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	A[3]
Tom Hull	A−[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

Virgin Beauty reached the number two position on Billboard's jazz chart and sold more in its first year of release than any previous Coleman record.^[7]

In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow noted that "the music is frequently exciting, but will take several listens to absorb. Worth investigating".^[2]

David Fricke of Rolling Stone commented: "More than a few Deadheads invested in Virgin Beauty solely because of Jerry Garcia's presence on three tracks. But it's a safe bet they were pleasantly surprised by Prime Time's infectious propulsion and the emotive strength and striking warmth of Coleman's sax statements."^[7]

Author Michael Stephans remarked: "Virgin Beauty is filled with many bright moments, a vibrant spirit, and an almost irrepressible earthiness. It is one of a number of good starting points for the new listener who wants to know more about Ornette's Prime Time and its musical evolution, with the added bonus of choosing any number of tracks and dancing to them!"^[8]

Track listing

1. "3 Wishes" – 4:23
2. "Bourgeois Boogie" – 5:11
3. "Happy Hour" – 4:49
4. "Virgin Beauty" – 3:34
5. "Healing the Feeling" – 5:21
6. "Singing in the Shower" – 4:26
7. "Desert Players" – 4:24
8. "Honeymooners" – 4:24
9. "Chanting" – 3:01
10. "Spelling the Alphabet" – 1:30
11. "Unknown Artist" – 4:12

Personnel

• Ornette Coleman – saxophone, trumpet, violin
• Denardo Coleman – drums, keyboards, percussion
• Charles Ellerbie – guitar
• Jerry Garcia – Guitar on "3 Wishes", "Singing in the Shower", "Desert Players"
• Albert MacDowell – double bass
• Bern Nix – guitar
• Chris Walker – bass
• Calvin Weston – drums

References

1. Trager, Oliver (1997). The American Book of the Dead. Fireside. p. 68.
2. Yanow, Scott. Ornette Coleman & Prime Time – Virgin Beauty > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
3. CG: Ornette Coleman. robertchristgau.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
4. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz (1940–50s) (Reference)". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
6. DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 152. ISBN 0679737294.
7. Fricke, David (March 9, 1989). "Ornette Coleman's Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
8. Stephans, Michael (2017). Experiencing Ornette Coleman: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 87.