Rejoicing is the second volume of Ornette Coleman interpretations recorded by Lewis Porter and myself. The first, Free, was recorded in March 2015. Days after that session, Lew (whose friendship with Mr. Coleman was long-standing) and I visited Ornette at his loft in New York City, an occasion which prompted me to write in the notes to that album, “it’s nice to discover that I am still susceptible to transformative experiences.” For jazz musicians, the world is different place today than it was then. Just weeks after the late winter afternoon in which Lew and I spoke and played with Ornette, the great man passed away. His funeral at Riverside Church in New York City brought together such a group of great jazz musicians to perform as we may never see again: including. among others, Cecil Taylor, Pharoah Sanders, Henry Threadgill, Jack DeJohnette, David Murray, Joe Lovano, and of course, Ornette’s band, Prime Time. The mourners numbered too many musicians to list, although Sonny Rollins’ presence must be noted. Few if any great artists of our time could inspire such a tribute. So while Free was recorded in a world that could at least hope for new creative contributions from Ornette Coleman, Rejoicing was made knowing that there will be no more forthcoming, aside from whatever hitherto unknown odds and ends are mined and released. The book is closed. What we have is what we have. Fortunately, Ornette left us with such a rich legacy of recorded music and compositions, what we have is enough to keep us busy and content for some time. The tunes we chose to record for Rejoicing are a nearly random selection of the 100 or so I’ve transcribed in recent years. I say random, because really the only basis to choose (personal preference hardly works; I like them all almost equally) was whether a given composition had been widely covered in the manner of a Turnaround or Lonely Woman. Ornette wrote so many great tunes, it makes little sense to do the same few over and over. Hence, the inclusion here of compositions like Soapsuds and Who Do You Work For? and the title track, which are seldom if ever played by other musicians, yet are as deserving of attention as his better-known works. As usual, Lewis Porter was a joy to play with, a consummate improviser and duo partner. I’ve said so much in praise of him, perhaps whatever else I write about his artistry is superfluous. This is Volume Two of a collaboration that I hope extends to the horizon of my career as a musician. Ornette lives, and continues to transform the way I experience the creative process, now and always. That, from my perspective, is something to rejoice. - Chris Kelsey, Pawling NY, July 24, 2016. It's really a pleasure playing music and hanging out with Chris. What's also great is that I can totally trust his judgement about which Ornette tunes to play. I don't think anybody knows Ornette's music better than Chris. This album was recorded in the Manhattan apartment where I live with my wife, Odella. It's the first time I've recorded on my own Steinway, a 1911 model O (about 6 feet long) that I really love. I'm looking forward to making more music together with Chris! - Lewis Porter, New York, NY, July 25, 2016