At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm is a pair of 1966 live albums by the Ornette Coleman Trio, documenting concerts on the nights of December 3 and 4, 1965, at the Gyllene Cirkeln club in Stockholm.
Background At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm marks Coleman's first release on Blue Note Records after leaving Atlantic. It is also Coleman's recorded debut on trumpet and violin, instruments which he took three years teaching himself to play after leaving Atlantic.
Release history The 2002 CD reissue includes previously unreleased bonus tracks in both volumes.
Reception The music has been described as "brilliant, optimistic closely unified thematic improvisations". "Snowflakes and Sunshine" marked the introduction of his unconventional violin and trumpet playing. "In Coleman's hands, both instruments are refunctioned into 'sound tools' (...) producers of sounds, rhythms and emotions."
The Penguin Guide to Jazz listed both volumes as part of its "Core Collection" and gave each a four-star rating (of a possible four stars).
Pitchfork ranked the album 156th on their "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s" list.
Track listing
At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm, Volume One
Original release
2002 RVG edition
At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm, Volume Two
Original release
2002 RVG edition
Personnel Ornette Coleman – alto saxophone, trumpet, violin David Izenzon – double bass Charles Moffett – drums
References