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Personnel: Ornette Coleman (saxophone, trumpet, violin); Denardo Coleman (keyboards, drums, percussion); Bern Nix, Charlee Ellerbee, Jerry Garcia (guitar); Al MacDowell, Chris Walker (bass); Calvin Weston (drums). Recorded at Atlantic Studios and Clinton Studios, New York, New York; Master Sound, Astoria, New York. "Virgin Beauty" (1988) is a somewhat tame Ornette Coleman album. It's not nearly as knotty as the radical "Body Meta" (1978), nor is it conceptually as bold as his early quartet albums ("Shape of Jazz to Come," "Change of the Century"). But even here, in this relatively accessible setting, Ornette's strange sensibility emerges. Prime Time (Ornette's electric double quartet of 2 guitars, 2 basses, 2 drummers) is supplemented on 3 tunes by Jerry Garcia; he's not too high in the mix, but he does seem to bring some Dead-like lightness to the proceedings. The tunes themselves are mostly hypnotic grooves overlaid with Ornette's childlike saxophone melodies and searching solos; an African pop sensibility pervades. "Happy Hour," a funky hoedown, is slight but sweet, and "3 Wishes" is hypnotic and catchy. But the deepest composition is the title track, "Virgin Beauty." Ornette's achy sax plays over strange guitar tunings and a lazy beat; it leaves the impression of a sad, Hawaiian hangover.
