ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA

1986 · 1h 27m · NR · Documentary / Musical · IMDB TMDB

Shirley Clarke's frenetic documentary about multi-talented musician Ornette Coleman.

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Quick Answer

What is Ornette: Made in America about?

Ornette: Made in America is a 1986 American documentary musical directed by Shirley Clarke that explores the innovative work and life of jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman through a collage of performances, interviews, and experimental sequences.

Programmer's Pick

Shirley Clarke throws out the jazz documentary rulebook and riffs with Ornette Coleman’s spirit—expect improvisation, not idol worship. This isn’t just a profile; it’s a psychedelic jam session of images, interviews, and music. If you like your cinema as untamed as your jazz, you’re in the right club.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Overview

Ornette: Made in America is anything but a standard music documentary. Instead of a linear biography, Shirley Clarke crafts a vibrant, frenetic homage that mirrors Ornette Coleman’s own freeform jazz style. The film weaves together live performances, candid interviews, experimental visuals, and imaginative reenactments from Coleman’s childhood, creating a collage as eclectic as its subject. Featuring appearances and insights from the likes of William S. Burroughs, Buckminster Fuller, and Ed Blackwell, the film orbits around Coleman’s performance of 'Skies of America' with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Anchored by the opening of the Caravan of Dreams nightclub in Texas, Clarke’s documentary celebrates Coleman’s boundary-breaking artistry and the world that shaped him.

Details & Specs

Director: Shirley Clarke
Release: 1986
Runtime: 1h 27m
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Genres: Documentary, Musical

Why This Matters

Directed and edited by Shirley Clarke, this documentary offers an in-depth study of saxophonist and free jazz innovator Ornette Coleman, capturing a significant figure in American music through the lens of an acclaimed filmmaker.

— SassyFlix Curator

Cast & Crew

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Director: Shirley Clarke

Ornette Coleman Self

William S. Burroughs Self GG Gregory Gelman Self AD Alex Deych Self LB Larissa Blitz Self MM Matthew Meister Self EB Ed Blackwell Self

Charlie Haden Self DR Dewey Redman Self

Brion Gysin Self RP Robert Palmer Self JR John Rockwell Self

Viva Self GR George Russell Self C" Charles "Farina" Waters Self OA O.C. Allen Self

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jazz music music documentary Independent Film Character Name In Title 1980s African American American Title Directed By Female Texas Woman Director Jazz Music Jazz Saxophone music documentary Saxophonist Year 1983 fort worth texas free jazz