Don Cherry (jazz)
Encyclopedia
Donald Eugene Cherry was an innovative African-American jazz
cornet
ist whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman
. He went on to live in many parts of the world and work with a wide variety of musicians.
, and raised in Los Angeles, California
. After learning various brass instruments in high school, by the early 1950s he was playing with jazz musicians in Los Angeles, sometimes acting as pianist in Art Farmer
's group. He also toured with saxophonist James Clay
.
Cherry became well known in 1958 when he performed and recorded with Ornette Coleman
, first in a quintet with pianist Paul Bley
and later in what became the predominantly piano-less quartet which recorded for Atlantic Records
. During this period, "his lines ... gathered much of their freedom of motion from the free harmonic structures."
Cherry co-led the avant-garde session which saw John Coltrane
replacing Coleman in the Quartet, recorded and toured with Sonny Rollins
, was a member of the New York Contemporary Five
with Archie Shepp
and John Tchicai
, and recorded and toured with both Albert Ayler
and George Russell. His first recording as a leader was Complete Communion for Blue Note Records
in 1965. The band included Coleman's drummer Ed Blackwell
as well as saxophonist Gato Barbieri
, whom he had met while touring Europe with Ayler.
After leaving Coleman, Don Cherry eschewed the trend towards funk/fusion and continued to play sparse jazz, often in small groups and duets (many with ex-Coleman drummer Ed Blackwell
) during a long sojourn in Scandinavia and other locations.
He later appeared on Coleman's 1971 LP Science Fiction, and from 1976 to 1987 reunited with Coleman alumni Dewey Redman
, Charlie Haden
, and Blackwell in the band Old And New Dreams
, recording four albums with them, two for ECM
and two for Black Saint, where his "subtlety of rhythmic expansion and contraction" was noted.
In the 1970s he ventured into the developing genre of world fusion music. Cherry incorporated influences of Middle East
ern, traditional Africa
n, and India
n music into his playing. He studied Indian music with Vasant Rai
in the early seventies. From 1978 to 1982, he recorded three albums for ECM with "world jazz" group Codona
, consisting of Cherry, percussionist Nana Vasconcelos
and sitar
and tabla
player Collin Walcott
.
Cherry also collaborated with classical composer Krzysztof Penderecki
on the 1971 album "Actions."
In 1973, he co-composed the score for Alejandro Jodorowsky
's film The Holy Mountain together with Ronald Frangipane and Jodorowsky.
During the 1980s, he recorded again with the original Ornette Coleman Quartet on In All Languages
, as well as recording El Corazon, a duet album with Ed Blackwell.
Other playing opportunities in his career came with Carla Bley
's Escalator Over The Hill
project, and recordings with Lou Reed
, Ian Dury
, Rip Rig + Panic and Sun Ra
.
In 1994, Cherry appeared on the Red Hot Organization
's compilation CD, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, on a track titled "Apprehension" alongside The Watts Prophets
. The album, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in African American society was named "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
Don Cherry was 58 when he died in Málaga
, Spain
, in 1995 due to liver failure
caused by hepatitis
.
His stepdaughters Neneh Cherry
and Titiyo
and his sons David Cherry and Eagle-Eye Cherry
are also musicians.
and pocket trumpet
. The pocket trumpet helped Cherry produce his distinct sound as well as allowing him to "smear" notes more easily. He often spoke about changing horns and mouthpiece sizes to constantly keep him in unfamiliar territory when playing and aiding in the avoidance of cliches. Even though he is mostly associated with the pocket trumpet, the majority of his recordings are on the standard cornet. He has no known recordings on the standard trumpet.
After returning from a musical/cultural journey through Africa, Cherry often played a stringed instrument with a gourd body called a doussn'gouni. He also collected a variety of other African instruments on his journey, which he mastered and often played in performances and recordings.
He also performed as a percussionist and pianist, often playing the cornet with his right hand while playing the piano with the left.
With Old and New Dreams
With Codona
With the New York Contemporary Five
With Albert Ayler
With Charlie Haden
With Sun Ra
With Others
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
ist whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
. He went on to live in many parts of the world and work with a wide variety of musicians.
Biography
Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, and raised in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. After learning various brass instruments in high school, by the early 1950s he was playing with jazz musicians in Los Angeles, sometimes acting as pianist in Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
's group. He also toured with saxophonist James Clay
James Clay (musician)
James Earl Clay was an American hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. While in school Clay played alto saxophone, became a professional musician, and played with local bands in Dallas, including with Booker Ervin...
.
Cherry became well known in 1958 when he performed and recorded with Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
, first in a quintet with pianist Paul Bley
Paul Bley
Paul Bley, CM is a pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing.-Biography:...
and later in what became the predominantly piano-less quartet which recorded for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. During this period, "his lines ... gathered much of their freedom of motion from the free harmonic structures."
Cherry co-led the avant-garde session which saw John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
replacing Coleman in the Quartet, recorded and toured with Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
, was a member of the New York Contemporary Five
New York Contemporary Five
The New York Contemporary Five was an avant-garde jazz ensemble active in the first half of the 1960s.It has been described as "a group which, despite its ... short lease on life, has considerable historical significance", laying "the cornerstone of what might be called the mainstream of free jazz"...
with Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
and John Tchicai
John Tchicai
John Martin Tchicai is a Danish jazz saxophonist. He was one of the earliest European free jazz musicians. He is of Danish and Congolese descent....
, and recorded and toured with both Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
and George Russell. His first recording as a leader was Complete Communion for Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
in 1965. The band included Coleman's drummer Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
as well as saxophonist Gato Barbieri
Gato Barbieri
Leandro Barbieri , better known as Gato Barbieri , is an Argentinean jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music...
, whom he had met while touring Europe with Ayler.
After leaving Coleman, Don Cherry eschewed the trend towards funk/fusion and continued to play sparse jazz, often in small groups and duets (many with ex-Coleman drummer Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell
Ed Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
) during a long sojourn in Scandinavia and other locations.
He later appeared on Coleman's 1971 LP Science Fiction, and from 1976 to 1987 reunited with Coleman alumni Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman
Dewey Redman was an American jazz saxophonist, known for performing free jazz as a bandleader, and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett....
, Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
, and Blackwell in the band Old And New Dreams
Old and New Dreams
Old and New Dreams was a jazz group that existed from 1976 to 1987 composed of tenor saxophone player Dewey Redman , bassist Charlie Haden, cornet player Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell...
, recording four albums with them, two for ECM
ECM (record label)
ECM is a record label founded in Munich, Germany, in 1969 by Manfred Eicher. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a wide variety of recordings, and ECM's artists often refuse to acknowledge boundaries between genres...
and two for Black Saint, where his "subtlety of rhythmic expansion and contraction" was noted.
In the 1970s he ventured into the developing genre of world fusion music. Cherry incorporated influences of Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern, traditional Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n music into his playing. He studied Indian music with Vasant Rai
Vasant Rai
Vasant Rai was one of world's most acclaimed performers of Indian music and virtuoso of the Indo/Persian/Afghan instrument Sarod.-Personal life and education:Rai was born in Unjha, Kutch, Gujarat and studied music in India...
in the early seventies. From 1978 to 1982, he recorded three albums for ECM with "world jazz" group Codona
Codona
Codona was a free jazz and world fusion group which released three self-titled albums on the ECM label in 1978, 1980 and 1982. The trio consisted of Don Cherry, Collin Walcott, and Nana Vasconcelos....
, consisting of Cherry, percussionist Nana Vasconcelos
Naná Vasconcelos
Naná Vasconcelos is a Brazilian Latin jazz percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, most notable for his works with Pat Metheny, Don Cherry, Egberto Gismonti, and Gato Barbieri....
and sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
and tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
player Collin Walcott
Collin Walcott
Collin Walcott was a North American musician. He was a student of Ravi Shankar and Vasant Rai. Collin expanded the role of the sitar in western music. Walcott studied music and ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and at The University of California at Los Angeles...
.
Cherry also collaborated with classical composer Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
on the 1971 album "Actions."
In 1973, he co-composed the score for Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky, known as Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a Chilean filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru...
's film The Holy Mountain together with Ronald Frangipane and Jodorowsky.
During the 1980s, he recorded again with the original Ornette Coleman Quartet on In All Languages
In All Languages
In All Languages is a 1987 double album by Ornette Coleman. Coleman and the other members of his 1950s quartet, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins, performed on one of the two records, while his electrified ensemble, Prime Time, performed on the other...
, as well as recording El Corazon, a duet album with Ed Blackwell.
Other playing opportunities in his career came with Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
's Escalator Over The Hill
Escalator over the Hill
Escalator over the Hill is mostly referred to as a jazz opera, but it was released as a "chronotransduction" with "words by Paul Haines, adaptation and music by Carla Bley, production and coordination by Michael Mantler", performed by the Jazz Composer's Orchestra.-History:Escalator over the Hill...
project, and recordings with Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, Ian Dury
Ian Dury
Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...
, Rip Rig + Panic and Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
.
In 1994, Cherry appeared on the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
's compilation CD, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool, on a track titled "Apprehension" alongside The Watts Prophets
The Watts Prophets
The Watts Prophets are a group of musicians and poets from Watts, Los Angeles, California. Like their contemporaries, The Last Poets, the group combined elements of jazz music and spoken word performance, making the trio one that is often seen as a forerunner of contemporary hip hop music...
. The album, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in African American society was named "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
Don Cherry was 58 when he died in Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in 1995 due to liver failure
Liver failure
Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage . The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis...
caused by hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
.
His stepdaughters Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
and Titiyo
Titiyo
Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter, who has won four Grammis.-Early life:Titiyo was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Ahmadu Jah, a Sierra Leonean drummer, and Maylen Bergström. She is the half- sister of singer Neneh Cherry, and stepsister to Eagle-Eye Cherry...
and his sons David Cherry and Eagle-Eye Cherry
Eagle-Eye Cherry
Eagle-Eye Lanoo Cherry is a Swedish musician of African-American descent.-Life and career:Cherry was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of African American jazz artist Don Cherry and Swedish painter/textile artist Monika "Moki" Cherry . He is half-brother of singer Neneh Cherry, his mother's...
are also musicians.
Instrument
Don Cherry was closely associated with both the cornetCornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
and pocket trumpet
Pocket trumpet
thumb|250px|Pocket trumpet in B-flat, with a 5-inch standard size bell and medium-large boreThe pocket trumpet is a compact size B trumpet, with the same playing range as the regular trumpet. The tubing is wound more tightly than that of a standard trumpet in order to reduce its size while...
. The pocket trumpet helped Cherry produce his distinct sound as well as allowing him to "smear" notes more easily. He often spoke about changing horns and mouthpiece sizes to constantly keep him in unfamiliar territory when playing and aiding in the avoidance of cliches. Even though he is mostly associated with the pocket trumpet, the majority of his recordings are on the standard cornet. He has no known recordings on the standard trumpet.
After returning from a musical/cultural journey through Africa, Cherry often played a stringed instrument with a gourd body called a doussn'gouni. He also collected a variety of other African instruments on his journey, which he mastered and often played in performances and recordings.
He also performed as a percussionist and pianist, often playing the cornet with his right hand while playing the piano with the left.
As leader
- 1961: The Avant-GardeThe Avant-Garde (album)The Avant-Garde is an album credited to jazz musicians John Coltrane and Don Cherry, released in 1966 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1451. It features Coltrane playing the compositions of Ornette Coleman accompanied by the members of his quartet, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell...
(co-leader with John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
) - 1965: Complete CommunionComplete CommunionComplete Communion is a 1966 album by American jazz composer Don Cherry, his first release on Blue Note Records.Each side of the original LP were suites, side-long compositions working with several themes...
(Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
) - 1966: Symphony for ImprovisersSymphony for ImprovisersSymphony for Improvisers is an album by Don Cherry featuring Gato Barbieri, Henry Grimes, Ed Blackwell, Karl Berger, Jean-François Jenny-Clark, and Pharoah Sanders recorded in 1966 and released on the Blue Note label...
(Blue Note) - 1966: Where is Brooklyn?Where is Brooklyn?Where Is Brooklyn? is an album by Don Cherry featuring Henry Grimes, Ed Blackwell, and Pharoah Sanders recorded in 1966 and released on the Blue Note label...
(Blue Note) - 1966: Live at Cafe Montmartre ESP-diskESP-DiskESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
, with Gato BarbieriGato BarbieriLeandro Barbieri , better known as Gato Barbieri , is an Argentinean jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s.-Biography:Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music...
, Bo StiefBo StiefBo Stief is a Danish jazz and rock bassist, composer, and arranger born in Copenhagen.He has worked or recorded with Don Cherry, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Jackie McLean, George Russell, Kenny Drew and Ben Webster, among many other prominent jazz... - 1968: Eternal RhythmEternal Rhythm (album)Eternal Rhythm is a live jazz album composed by Don Cherry. It was recorded at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1968.-Track listing:1. "Eternal Rhythm Part I" - 17:49 *a. Baby's Breath*b. "Sonny Sharock"*c. Turkish Prayer...
, with Sonny SharrockSonny SharrockWarren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock was an American jazz guitarist. He was once married to singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he sometimes recorded and performed....
, Karl BergerKarl BergerKarl Hanns Berger is a musicologist with a PhD in Music Sociology, jazz composer, jazz vibraphone and piano player.-Biography:... - 1969: Mu, duet with Ed BlackwellEd BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
- 1970: Human Music, with Jon AppletonJon AppletonJon Howard Appleton is an American composer and teacher who was a pioneer in electro-acoustic music. His earliest compositions in the medium, e.g. Chef d'Oeuvre and Newark Airport Rock attracted attention because they established a new tradition some have called programmatic electronic music...
- 1971: Orient trio recordings, live in France, with Han BenninkHan BenninkHan Bennink is a Dutch jazz drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured his playing on clarinet, violin, banjo and piano....
- 1971: Blue Lake live trio, with Johnny DyaniJohnny DyaniJohnny Mbizo Dyani was a South African jazz double bassist and pianist, who played with such musicians as Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, David Murray and Leo Smith....
and Okay TemizOkay TemizOkay Temiz is a leading Turkish fusion jazz percussionist and drummer.-Discography:* Maffy Falay & Sevda: ditto. * Maffy Falay & Sevda: Live at Jazzhus Montmartre.... - 1972: Organic Music Society (Caprice)
- 1973: Relativity SuiteRelativity SuiteRelativity Suite is a free-jazz LP by Don Cherry on Jazz Composer's Orchestra Records JCOA LP 1006, which was released in 1973.-Criticism:...
- Jazz Composer's OrchestraJazz Composer's OrchestraJazz Composer's Orchestra was an American jazz group founded in 1965, to further avant-garde jazz in New York. Carla Bley and Michael Mantler were important in its organization and style.... - 1975: Brown Rice A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
with Billy HigginsBilly HigginsBilly Higgins was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958...
and Charlie HadenCharlie HadenCharles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman... - 1976: Hear and Now - jazz-funk fusion outing with guitarist Stan Samole.
- 1982: El CorazónEl Corazón (album)El Corazón is an album by jazz trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell recorded in 1982 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "Trumpet and drum duets are not exactly commonplace, making this collaboration between Don...
ECM Records with Ed BlackwellEd BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman.... - 1985: Home Boy reggae/rap songs, recorded in Paris with local musicians
- 1988: Multikulti A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, featuring Peter ApfelbaumPeter ApfelbaumPeter Apfelbaum is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, tenor saxophonist, drummer and composer born in Berkeley, California. He first emerged on the jazz scene in the late 1970s, performing with Carla Bley from 1978–1982 and touring with Warren Smith and Karl Berger. Around this time Apfelbaum...
's Hieroglyphics Ensemble on 3 tracks. - 1988: Art Deco A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
with James ClayJames Clay (musician)James Earl Clay was an American hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. While in school Clay played alto saxophone, became a professional musician, and played with local bands in Dallas, including with Booker Ervin...
and Billy HigginsBilly HigginsBilly Higgins was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958... - 1993: Dona NostraDona NostraDona Nostra is an album by jazz trumpeter Don Cherry with Bobo Stenson and Lennart Åberg recorded in 1993 and released on the ECM label. The album was Cherry's last as a leader prior to his death in 1995.-Reception:...
ECM Records - 2002: Live at Bracknell Jazz Festival 1986 BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Nu quintet with Carlos WardCarlos WardCarlos Ward is a jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. He is best known as a sideman.His first instrument was the clarinet at age 13 when he lived in Seattle, Washington...
, Mark HeliasMark HeliasMark Helias is an American jazz double bass player and composer born in New Brunswick, New Jersey.He did not begin playing the double bass until the age of 20, graduating from Yale University's School of Music with a Masters degree in 1976. He has also studied at Rutgers University...
, Ed BlackwellEd BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
and Nana VasconcelosNaná VasconcelosNaná Vasconcelos is a Brazilian Latin jazz percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, most notable for his works with Pat Metheny, Don Cherry, Egberto Gismonti, and Gato Barbieri....
. - 2002: Blue Lake
With Old and New Dreams
Old and New Dreams
Old and New Dreams was a jazz group that existed from 1976 to 1987 composed of tenor saxophone player Dewey Redman , bassist Charlie Haden, cornet player Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell...
- Old and New Dreams (Black Saint, 1976)
- Old and New Dreams (ECM, 1979)
- PlayingPlaying (album)Old and New Dreams is a live album by jazz quartet Old and New Dreams featuring trumpeter Don Cherry, saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell recorded in 1980 for the ECM label.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1980) - A Tribute to BlackwellA Tribute to BlackwellA Tribute to Blackwell is a live album by jazz quartet Old and New Dreams featuring trumpeter Don Cherry, saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell recorded in 1987 and released on the Italian Black Saint label.-Reception:...
(Black Saint, 1987)
With Codona
Codona
Codona was a free jazz and world fusion group which released three self-titled albums on the ECM label in 1978, 1980 and 1982. The trio consisted of Don Cherry, Collin Walcott, and Nana Vasconcelos....
- CodonaCodona (album)Codona is the first album by the jazz trio Codona which featured sitarist and tabla player Collin Walcott, trumpeter Don Cherry and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos recorded in 1978 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1979) - Codona 2Codona 2Codona 2 is the second album by the jazz trio Codona which featured sitarist and tabla player Collin Walcott, trumpeter Don Cherry and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos recorded in 1980 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1981) - Codona 3Codona 3Codona 3 is the third and final album by the jazz trio Codona which featured sitarist and tabla player Collin Walcott, trumpeter Don Cherry and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos recorded in 1982 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1983)
As sideman
With Ornette ColemanOrnette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
- Something Else!!!!Something Else!!!!Something Else!!!! is the 1958 debut album by jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman. According to All Music, the album "shook up the jazz world", revitalizing the union of blues and jazz and restoring "blues to their 'classic' beginnings in African music"...
(Contemporary, 1958) - Tomorrow Is the Question!Tomorrow Is the Question!__notoc__Tomorrow Is the Question!, subtitled The New Music of Ornette Coleman, is the second album by American jazz musician Ornette Coleman, originally released in 1959 by the Contemporary label...
(Contemorary, 1959) - The Shape of Jazz to ComeThe Shape of Jazz to ComeThe Shape of Jazz to Come is an influential album by Ornette Coleman. It was his debut album for Atlantic Records who released it in late 1959....
(Atlantic, 1959) - Change of the CenturyChange of the CenturyChange of the Century is an album, recorded in 1959 and originally released in 1960, by jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman . This was Coleman's second Atlantic album and his fourth overall...
(Atlantic, 1960) - TwinsTwins (Ornette Coleman album)Twins is an album by jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman. Recorded between 1959 and 1961 for Atlantic, it was only released in 1971...
(Atlantic, 1959-60 [1971]) - The Art of the ImprovisersThe Art of the ImprovisersThe Art of the Improvisers is an album by the American jazz composer and saxophonist Ornette Coleman featuring tracks recorded between 1959 and 1961 which was first released on the Atlantic label in 1970.-Reception:...
(Atlantic, 1959-61 [1970]) - To Whom Who Keeps a RecordTo Whom Who Keeps a RecordTo Whom Who Keeps a Record is an album by the American jazz composer and saxophonist Ornette Coleman featuring tracks recorded between 1959 and 1960 which was first released on the Japanese Atlantic label in 1975.-Track listing:# "Music Always" - 5:31...
(Atlantic, 1959-60 [1975]) - This is our MusicThis Is Our Music (Ornette Coleman album)This Is Our Music is a free jazz album by saxophonist Ornette Coleman, recorded in 1960 and originally released in 1961. It is especially notable as Coleman's only Atlantic recording to feature a standard – an unorthodox version of "Embraceable You" – and as the only album to feature...
(Atlantic, 1960) - Free Jazz: A Collective ImprovisationFree Jazz: A Collective ImprovisationFree Jazz: A Collective Improvisation is the sixth album by jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman, recorded in 1960. Its title established the name of the then-nascent free jazz movement...
(Atlantic, 1960) - Ornette!Ornette!Ornette! is a free jazz album by alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, recorded for the label Atlantic Records one month after the genre-defining Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation...
(Atlantic, 1961) - Ornette on TenorOrnette on TenorOrnette on Tenor is an album by the American jazz composer and saxophonist Ornette Coleman recorded in 1961 and released on the Atlantic label.-Reception:...
(Atlantic, 1961) - CrisisCrisis (Ornette Coleman album)Crisis is a live album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman recorded at New York University in 1969 and released on the Impulse! label.-Reception:...
(Impulse!, 1969) - Science FictionScience Fiction (Ornette Coleman album)Science Fiction is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman recorded in 1971 and released on the Columbia label.-Reception:...
(Columbia, 1971) - Broken ShadowsBroken ShadowsBroken Shadows is an album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman recorded in 1971 at the same sessions that produced Science Fiction and but not released on the Columbia label until 1982.-Reception:...
(Columbia, 1971 [1982]) - In All LanguagesIn All LanguagesIn All Languages is a 1987 double album by Ornette Coleman. Coleman and the other members of his 1950s quartet, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins, performed on one of the two records, while his electrified ensemble, Prime Time, performed on the other...
(Caravan of Dreams, 1987)
With the New York Contemporary Five
New York Contemporary Five
The New York Contemporary Five was an avant-garde jazz ensemble active in the first half of the 1960s.It has been described as "a group which, despite its ... short lease on life, has considerable historical significance", laying "the cornerstone of what might be called the mainstream of free jazz"...
- ConsequencesConsequences (New York Contemporary Five album)Consequences is the debut album by the New York Contemporary Five featuring saxophonists Archie Shepp and John Tchicai, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Don Moore and drummer J. C. Moses...
(FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1963) - New York Contemporary Five Vol. 1Archie Shepp & the New York Contemporary FiveArchie Shepp & the New York Contemporary Five is a live album by the New York Contemporary Five recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 15, 1963 and featuring saxophonists Archie Shepp and John Tchicai, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Don Moore and drummer J. C. Moses...
(SonetSonet RecordsSonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the...
, 1963) - New York Contemporary Five Vol. 2Archie Shepp & the New York Contemporary FiveArchie Shepp & the New York Contemporary Five is a live album by the New York Contemporary Five recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 15, 1963 and featuring saxophonists Archie Shepp and John Tchicai, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Don Moore and drummer J. C. Moses...
(SonetSonet RecordsSonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the...
, 1963) - Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary Five (SavoySavoy RecordsSavoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
, 1964)
With Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
- The Hilversum Session (1964)
- Vibrations (1964) Freedom RecordsFreedom RecordsFreedom Records was a jazz record label linked with the producer Alan Bates, as with his Black Lion Records.Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the company was bought by Arista Records.-Discography:*1000 Albert Ayler &...
- New York Eye and Ear ControlNew York Eye and Ear ControlNew York Eye and Ear Control is an album of group improvisations recorded by an augmented version of Albert Ayler's group to provide the soundtrack for Michael Snow's film of the same name....
(1965)
With Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
- Liberation Music Orchestra (1969)
- The Ballad of the FallenThe Ballad of the FallenThe Ballad of the Fallen is a jazz album by bassist Charlie Haden, recorded in 1982 and released in 1983. The album was voted "Jazz album of the year" in Down Beat magazine's 1984 critic's poll...
(1986) - The Montreal Tapes
With Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
- Hiroshima (1983)
- Stars That Shine Darkly (1983)
- Purple NightPurple NightPurple Night is a jazz album by free jazz pioneer Sun Ra.The album was the second in a short-term recording deal with major label A&M Records, who had a "Modern Masters Jazz Series" imprint going at the time...
(1990) - Somewhere Else (1993)
With Others
- Steve LacySteve LacySteve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....
- EvidenceEvidence (Steve Lacy album)Evidence is the fourth album by Steve Lacy and was released on the New Jazz label in 1962. It features performances of four tunes written by Thelonious Monk and two from Duke Ellington by Lacy, Don Cherry, Carl Brown and Billy Higgins.-Reception:...
(1962) - Sonny RollinsSonny RollinsTheodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
- Our Man in JazzOur Man in JazzOur Man in Jazz is an album by jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, recorded for the RCA Victor label, featuring July 1962 performances by Rollins with Don Cherry, Bob Cranshaw, and Billy Higgins...
(1962) - George Russell - George Russell Sextet at Beethoven HallGeorge Russell Sextet at Beethoven HallGeorge Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall is a 1965 live album by George Russell originally released in two volumes on the MPS label and featuring a performance by Russell with Don Cherry, Bertil Lövgren, Brian Trentham, Ray Pitts, Cameron Brown, and Albert Heath...
(1965) - Carla BleyCarla BleyCarla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
- Escalator over the HillEscalator over the HillEscalator over the Hill is mostly referred to as a jazz opera, but it was released as a "chronotransduction" with "words by Paul Haines, adaptation and music by Carla Bley, production and coordination by Michael Mantler", performed by the Jazz Composer's Orchestra.-History:Escalator over the Hill...
(JCOA, 1971) - Alejandro JodorowskyAlejandro JodorowskyAlejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky, known as Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a Chilean filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru...
and Ronald Frangipane - "The Holy Mountain Original Soundtrack" (1973) - Collin WalcottCollin WalcottCollin Walcott was a North American musician. He was a student of Ravi Shankar and Vasant Rai. Collin expanded the role of the sitar in western music. Walcott studied music and ethnomusicology at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and at The University of California at Los Angeles...
- Grazing DreamsGrazing DreamsGrazing Dreams is the second album by American sitarist and composer Collin Walcott recorded in 1977 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(ECM, 1977) - Latif Khan - Music/Sangam (1978)
- Johnny DyaniJohnny DyaniJohnny Mbizo Dyani was a South African jazz double bassist and pianist, who played with such musicians as Don Cherry, Steve Lacy, David Murray and Leo Smith....
- Song For Biko (1978) - Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
- The BellsThe Bells (album)The Bells is the ninth album by Lou Reed, released through Arista Records in 1979. It is recorded in binaural sound. "City Lights" is a tribute to Charlie Chaplin. "Disco Mystic" is indeed played in a disco style, and the lyrics consist of those two words repeated...
(1979) - Bengt BergerBengt BergerBengt Berger is a Swedish jazz musician , composer and producer.Berger has studied north and south Indian music since the 1960s with Pandit Taranath Rama Rao and Mridangam Vidwan P.S...
- Bitter Funeral BeerBitter Funeral BeerBitter Funeral Beer is an album by Swedish ethnomusicologist, drummer, and composer Bengt Berger recorded in 1981 and released on the ECM label.-Reception:...
(ECM, 1981) - Rip Rig + Panic - I am Cold (1982)
- Bengt Berger Bitter Funeral Beer Band - Live In Frankfurt (1982)
- Frank LoweFrank LoweFrank Lowe was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer.Born and brought up in Memphis, Tennessee, Lowe took up the tenor saxophone and then moved to San Francisco...
- Decision in Paradise (1984) - Jai UttalJai UttalJai Uttal is an American musician and singer-songwriter born in New York City. Often performing with his "Pagan Love Orchestra," Jai's music is influenced by his R&B roots of the 1960s and '70s and by traditional Indian music, which he first became familiar with at age 19.When he was 19, Jai moved...
- Footprints (1990) - Ed BlackwellEd BlackwellEd Blackwell was an American jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana, known for his extensive work with Ornette Coleman....
Project - Vol. 2: "What It Be Like?" (one track)