Complete Don Cherry

Is it natural for a music geek like me to like a sideman of Ornette Coleman so much that his recorded output is just as viable as his stuff with Ornette? The answer is yes and I will tell you why. Don Cherry is one of the most gifted and most underrated Jazz giants of the 1960's. If you hear him with Ornette his signature pocket trumpet or cornet make a huge impact on what Ornette is trying to do. 

Don Cherry's music is full of world and jazz routes and is not afraid to combine them or try something totally new to get his musical leaning across to his audience. Don Cherry also was a musician that was eager to learn or try something new. He welcomed all types of music and would play on other peoples albums. He played with Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Steve Lacy and started two bands that preserved world music leanings and the preservation of his Ornette Coleman type band. He was so wide range of influence and style he guested on Steve Hillage's (guitarist from Gong) album called L.

After having a stint on the prestigious Blue Note label Don went on to explore world music and the fun that brought to him. He did lose focus while doing that he actually made some of his best jazz at that time too. Good Luck finding his album Brown Rice. It is at Amazon but as an import. Some of his stuff was never put out domestically so it's hard to track down. His Blue Note albums though are thankfully still in print. While most of his counterparts were making albums that had side long pieces that went in one direction Don did something different. I am sure Ornette taught him well.

Don Cherry injected enough of his own personality to begin differentiating himself as a leader. He arranged the original LP as two continuous side-long suites, each of which incorporated four different compositions and was recorded in a single take. In practice, this meant that several melodic themes popped up over the course of each side; all the musicians free-associated off of each theme, engaging in intense, abstract dialogues before moving on to the next. As the album's title suggests, every member of the group not only solos, but shares the total space selflessly. (AM) Often the music sounds more like a conversation, as opposed to a solo with support, because the musicians make such intelligent use of space and dynamics, and wind up with a great deal of crackling, volatile interplay as a result. (AM) As a whole, the project comes off remarkably well, establishing Cherry as an avant-garde force to be reckoned with in his own right.(AM)

Don Cherry was a complete musician to me. He covered a broad range of musical styles as I pointed out, but he never gets the credit in the jazz world as he deserves. He does not get lumped together with the likes of Coleman, Coltrane, Mingus, Parker, Davis, Rollins, Hancock and others. So many I can name and then you do feel like you just left him out. I am sure there are countless others that I would leave out in the second grouping would be Don too. His kids too are excellent musicians as well. Even though Eagle Eye and Neneh are full fledged pop musicians they still keep dad's spirit of being not to commercial, but enough to talk about.

I have the pleasure of owning all the Don Cherry Blue Note albums and they are all very good. I have even ten bootlegs from these Blue Note years that sing with joy. Don was not only someone to listen to, but a great person too. The jazz world said when he did that he was the biggest humanitarian too. Anyway! Don Cherry's music should be looked at more. His music is viable as any musician that has come out of the 50's and 60's. He has a lot to teach us. Listen to some of the best music that money can buy and like I talked about other artists that have importance to our world Don is one you can speak to a Jazz musician and he will say the same thing I just did. His music is my favorite and should be yours too. Enjoy!