Skies of America (1972). Ornette Coleman /reality-based thinking - harder than it looks/

Image via WikipediaI'm not one who uses music to manage my mood. Hmm, maybe that explains why I never listen to the relaxing local classical music station. In fact, I may do the opposite, i.e. rather than listen to sounds that appealed to 19th century Europeans, I have a need to find music that captures our current civic mood.

And although I happen to like I Kissed a Girl, for better or worse, the most compelling music I've heard this week is Ornette Coleman's Skies of America. It's a mess of a symphonic piece but yet captures the energy and tension of American life. Especially these days.

Skies of America track listing:

1. "Skies of America" — 2:49
2. "Native Americans" — 1:10
3. "The Good Life" — 1:33
4. "Birthdays and Funerals" — 3:13
5. "Dreams" — 0:51
6. "Sounds of Sculpture" — 1:20
7. "Holiday for Heroes" — 1:10
8. "All of My Life" — 3:08
9. "Dancers" — 1:17
10. "The Soul Within Woman" — 0:47
11. "The Artists in America" — 3:54
12. "The New Anthem" — 0:31
13. "Place in Space" — 2:44
14. "Foreigner in a Free Land" — 1:19
15. "Silver Screen" — 1:10
16. "Poetry" — 1:15
17. "The Men Who Live in the White House" — 2:48
18. "Love Life" — 4:34
19. "The Military" — 0:32
20. "Jam Session" — 0:39
21. "Sunday in America" — 4:29

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• skies of america: lala
• on the other hand, i greatly rely on blog reading to get a grip so here's a site both financial and humorous: dealbreaker