At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm

At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm
Live album by the Ornette Coleman Trio
Released	1966 (1966)
Recorded	December 3–4, 1965
Venue	Gyllene Cirkeln, Stockholm
Genre	Free jazz avant-garde jazz post-bop
Length	39:25 (Vol. One) 43:50 (Vol. Two)
Label	Blue Note BLP 4224 (Vol. One) BLP 4225 (Vol. Two)
Ornette Coleman chronology
Chappaqua Suite (1965) At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm (1966) The Empty Foxhole (1966)

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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1] Vol. 1
AllMusic	[2] Vol. 2
Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[4] Vol. 1
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[4] Vol. 2
Tom Hull	A (Vol. 1)[5]
Tom Hull	A− (Vol. 2)[6]

The music has been described as "brilliant, optimistic closely unified thematic improvisations".[7] "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."[8]

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).[9]

Pitchfork ranked the album 156th on their "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s" list.[10]

Track listing

At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm, Volume One

Original release

All tracks are written by Ornette Coleman

Side 1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Faces and Places"
2.	"European Echoes"

Side 2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dee Dee"
2.	"Dawn"

2002 RVG edition

All tracks are written by Ornette Coleman

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Announcement"	1:09
2.	"Faces and Places"	11:37
3.	"European Echoes"	7:53
4.	"Dee Dee"	10:38
5.	"Dawn"	8:05
6.	"Faces and Places" (alternate take)	8:31
7.	"European Echoes" (alternate take)	14:13
8.	"Doughnuts"	13:30

At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm, Volume Two

Original release

All tracks are written by Ornette Coleman

Side 1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Snowflakes and Sunshine"
2.	"Morning Song"

Side 2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Riddle"
2.	"Antiques"

2002 RVG edition

All tracks are written by Ornette Coleman

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Snowflakes and Sunshine"	10:42
2.	"Morning Song"	10:41
3.	"The Riddle"	9:54
4.	"Antiques"	12:35
5.	"Morning Song" (alternate take)	8:16
6.	"The Riddle" (alternate take)	12:39
7.	"Antiques" (alternate take)	13:00

Personnel

• Ornette Coleman – alto saxophone, trumpet, violin
• David Izenzon – double bass
• Charles Moffett – drums

References

1. Jurek, Thom. "At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm, Vol. 1". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
2. Jurek, Thom. "At the "Golden Circle" Stockholm, Vol. 2". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
3. Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.)
4. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 45. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
5. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz (1940–50s) (Reference)". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
6. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Jazz (1940–50s) (Reference)". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
7. Litweiler, John (1984). The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958. Da Capo. ISBN 0-306-80377-1.
8. Jost, Ekkehard (1975). Free Jazz (Studies in Jazz Research 4). Universal Edition.
9. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 258. ISBN 0-14-102327-9.
10. "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s: 160-141". Pitchfork. 22 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.