The Empty Foxhole

The Empty Foxhole
Studio album by Ornette Coleman
Released	1966
Recorded	September 9, 1966 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
Genre	Free jazz
Length	38:56
Label	Blue Note BST 84246
Producer	Francis Wolff
Ornette Coleman chronology
At the Golden Circle Stockholm (1965) The Empty Foxhole (1966) The Music of Ornette Coleman (1967)

The Empty Foxhole is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman released on the Blue Note label in 1967.^[1] The album features Coleman's untutored violin and trumpet as well as performing on his usual instrument, the alto saxophone, and marks the recording debut of his drummer son Denardo Coleman, who was ten years of age at the time.

Reception

Critical reception of the album was mixed at the time of its release and continues to be. The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 3 stars and stated: "On balance, the music may not be among Coleman's most exceptional efforts, but there's something inspiring about the fact that The Empty Foxhole is as good as it is."^[2] The All About Jazz review by Robert Spencer stated: "Ornette Coleman is not a conventional musician, but he has too much musical talent to make a bad album... The music here is unlike most everything else that ever came out of Blue Note, or anywhere, but those who won't notice or care that these guys are not the smoothest of instrumentalists might enjoy this album. I do".^[3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Ornette Coleman

1. "Good Old Days" – 6:52
2. "The Empty Foxhole" – 3:22
3. "Sound Gravitation" – 7:18
4. "Freeway Express" – 8:20
5. "Faithful" – 7:07
6. "Zig Zag" – 5:57

Personnel

• Ornette Coleman - alto saxophone (tracks 1, 5, 6), trumpet (2, 4), violin (3)
• Charlie Haden - bass
• Denardo Coleman - drums

References