Ornette Coleman Sues Jordan McLean Of Antibalas
By Andy Kahn May 27, 2015 • 12:10 pm PDT
Famed jazz musician Ornette Coleman has filed a federal lawsuit against Jordan McLean of Antibalas and his label partner, drummer Amir Ziv, alleging the pair released unauthorized recordings made of Coleman in the form of the recently issued album New Vocabulary. The record was released by the System Dialing Records label which McLean and Ziv founded and jointly run.
In the suit, the 85-year-old Coleman claims McLean and Ziv recorded him giving “teaching lessons” in his home in 2009. Several years after the recordings were made, Coleman alleges McLean asked if the recordings could be released by System Dialing Records, a request which Coleman denied and resulted in a demand for the return of the recordings both by Coleman and later by his attorney. Subsequently McLean and Ziv -who also teaches drumming at The New School -released the album New Vocabulary earlier this year and included portions of the recordings made in 2009.
According to Coleman’s camp, the complaint also alleges:
-An individual not recorded at the sessions is credited as having participated
-Music was added to the recordings after the fact
-The public is likely to be misled into believing that Coleman approves of, or is affiliated with, the public release of these recordings.
McLean and Ziv have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
In the suit, the 85-year-old Coleman claims McLean and Ziv recorded him giving “teaching lessons” in his home in 2009. Several years after the recordings were made, Coleman alleges McLean asked if the recordings could be released by System Dialing Records, a request which Coleman denied and resulted in a demand for the return of the recordings both by Coleman and later by his attorney. Subsequently McLean and Ziv -who also teaches drumming at The New School -released the album New Vocabulary earlier this year and included portions of the recordings made in 2009.
According to Coleman’s camp, the complaint also alleges:
-An individual not recorded at the sessions is credited as having participated
-Music was added to the recordings after the fact
-The public is likely to be misled into believing that Coleman approves of, or is affiliated with, the public release of these recordings.
McLean and Ziv have not yet responded to the lawsuit.
