Showing posts with label Don Cherry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Don Cherry. Show all posts

Monday, October 21, 2024

The Don Cherry & George Gruntz Group - Maghreb Cantata, Live 1969

Styles: Jazz, Folk, World
Year: 2023
Time: 73:42
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 68,8 MB
Art: Front

( 0:47) 1. Intro
( 5:25) 2. Buanuara
( 3:45) 3. Alaji
( 1:39) 4. Salhe
( 5:07) 5. Nemeit
( 5:00) 6. Fazani
(11:26) 7. Is Tikhbar/Ghitta/Alaji
(22:21) 8. Djerbi/M‘rabaa/Buanuara
(18:08) 9. Nemeit/Hayadanumuyama/Fazani

A marvelous double album as document of the historical collaboration between Don Cherry and Swiss pianist, composer George Gruntz, a central figure in European jazz who always showed a special interest in extending his solid post bop skills through other languages such as ethnic or even baroque music. This is North-African, deep-flavored jazz recorded live in Tunisia and Germany in May and September 1969, with Cherry (cornet, flute) and Gruntz (piano, celeste) leading a highly mixed line-up featuring multi reeds player Sahib Shihab, bassists Henry Texier and Eberhard Weber, and Swiss drummer extraordinaire Daniel Humair, plus four North African musicians on traditional instruments like bendir, ney, bagpipes, tabla and darbouka. A trance-inducing jazz ritual.

Line-up: George Gruntz - piano, celeste; Don Cherry - cornet, flute; Sahib Shihab - flute, alto flute, soprano saxophone; Henri Texier - bass; Daniel Humair - drums; Salah El Mehdi - ney, flute; Moktar Slama - bendire, bagpipe, mezuette, soukra; Jelloud Osman - ney, bendire, mezzuette, bagpipe; Hattab Jouini - tabla, darbouka, bendire; Eberhard Weber - bass (tracks 7-9). 

Tracks 1-6 Recorded in Tunisia, May 1969; tracks 7-9 Recorded in Stuttgart, Germany at Beethovensaal der Linderhalle, September 5, 1969.

Maghreb Cantata, Live 1969

Saturday, December 2, 2023

Don Cherry - Inside/Outside

Styles: Jazz Fusion
Year: 2023
Time: 59:07
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 135,7 MB
Art: Front

(12:49) 1. Mother Of The Veil (Live Remastered)
(14:00) 2. Pitch-field Blues (Live Remastered)
(20:24) 3. Last Of The Hitmen (Live Remastered)
(11:53) 4. Pettiford Bridge (Live Remastered)

As mentioned before, Don Cherry played a huge role in my appreciation of music, from the early days when I switched from rock to fusion to jazz. Cherry appeared to be a great bridge for me to move across genres and to appreciate what is best in many genres, including his openness to world music. He played with so many people, and welcomed any stylistic background for the communal celebration of music. That's why I also like to keep track of any additions to his catalogue, both in terms of own work or as tributes by others.

This is a remastered recording from a bootleg that was already circulating of a live concert in Amsterdam on August 14, 1987. I am not sure how legit the production is, but you can find it in full on Youtube. It was also released in Japan last year by the Necromancer label, and listed on streaming services. The musicians are Don Cherry on trumpet, Carlos Ward on alto saxophone, David Murray on tenor saxophone, and bass clarinet, Mark Helias on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums.

The concert consisted of four long tracks: "Mother Of The Veil", "Pitch-Field Blues", "Last of the Hitmen", and "Pettiford Bridge", which except for the last don't mean anything to me in terms of earlier knowledge. The playing is good, and so is the sound quality, and the audience is very appreciative and present. All five musicians contribute evenly and with equal enthusiasm. By Stef Gijssels https://www.freejazzblog.org/2023/09/don-cherry-archives-tributes-and-re.html

Inside/Outside

Friday, April 14, 2023

Don Cherry, Jean Schwarz - Roundtrip (1977)

Styles: Vocal And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:04
Size: 119,9 MB
Art: Front

(9:39) 1. Intro
(5:31) 2. Doussn' Gouni (Pt. 1)
(5:07) 3. Doussn' Gouni (Pt. 2)
(6:00) 4. Bells One
(5:35) 5. Bells Two
(2:12) 6. Berimbau
(4:34) 7. Whistles
(4:11) 8. Theme 1
(4:56) 9. Bando
(4:14) 10. Tribute To Ornette

Don Cherry gave many wonderful musical performances on the European scene in the 70s, including this one a gem of a record that was thought to be lost for years, and finally gets released to the world at large! The set's a live collaboration with electronic musician Jean Schwarz whose contributions here are nicely subtle, and never challenge the acoustic energy of the session, but instead augment it in all these really cool, unique ways very different than most improvised music with electronics at the time.

Cherry plays pocket trumpet and some great doussn gouni in the company of an equally fantastic lineup that features JF Jenny Clark on bass, Nana Vasconcelos on percussion, and Michel Portal on saxes, bass clarinet, and bandoneon. Given all the elements, there's some very unique sounds going on here a really amazing record that includes the tracks "Bells One", "Doussn Gouni", "Tribute To Ornette", "Bando", and "Berimbau". © 1996-2023, Dusty Groove, Inc.
https://www.dustygroove.com/item/132523/Don-Cherry-Jean-Schwarz:Roundtrip-Live-At-Theatre-Recamier-Paris-1977

Personnel: Don Cherry : pocket trumpet, vocals, doussn' gouni, whistles; Jean Schwarz : tape, synthesizers, treatments; Michel Portal : saxophone, bass clarinet, bandonéon; Jean François Jenny Clark : bass; Naná Vasconcelos : percussions

Roundtrip (1977)

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Barry Harris, Muhal Richard Abrams - Interpretations of Monk

Album: Interpretations of Monk Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:22
Size: 115,6 MB
Art: Front

( 0:41) 1. Announcement by Verna Gillis
( 6:39) 2. Introduction by Nat Hentoff
( 3:39) 3. Crepuscule with Nellie
( 8:25) 4. I Mean You
( 8:02) 5. Ask Me Now
( 3:41) 6. Gallop's Gallop
( 7:32) 7. Blue Monk
(10:16) 8. Four in One
( 1:23) 9. Poetry by Amiri Baraka

Three and a half months before Thelonious Monk died, two memorable tribute concerts took place at Columbia University. The lineup of musicians was perfect: soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy (long an expert on Monk's music), Thelonious' longtime tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, trombonist Roswell Rudd, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Richard Davis, either Ben Riley or Ed Blackwell on drums, and four different pianists. This legendary event was fortunately recorded, and the afternoon concert has been released in full on this 1997 double-CD set. Pianist Muhal Richard Abrams is on the first CD, while Barry Harris takes his place on the second half. Both of the pianists have a brief solo piece as a feature; Lacy takes "Gallop's Gallop" unaccompanied, and the full group jams on 11 of Monk's more difficult pieces. The unique opportunity to hear this combination of musicians and the many inspired moments make the double CD a highly recommended acquisition for anyone interested in the music of Thelonious Monk.~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/interpretations-of-monk-vol-1-mw0000035894

Personnel: Piano – Barry Harris , Muhal Richard Abrams; Bass – Richard Davis ; Drums – Ben Riley, Ed Blackwell ; Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy; Tenor Saxophone – ; Trombone – Roswell Rudd; Trumpet – Don Cherry

Interpretations of Monk Disc.1

Album: Interpretations of Monk Disc 2

(0:17) 1. Announcement by Verna Gillis
(4:15) 2. Ruby, My Dear
(7:25) 3. Light Blue
(9:14) 4. Eronel
(8:14) 5. Bye-Ya
(5:35) 6. Pannonica
(6:46) 7. Off Minor
(10:34) 8. Epistrophy

Interpretations of Monk Disc 2

Monday, October 4, 2021

Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell - Old And New Dreams

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:07
Size: 108,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:18)  1. Lonely Woman
( 5:41)  2. Togo
( 5:34)  3. Guinea
( 8:10)  4. Open or Close
( 7:31)  5. Orbit of La-Ba
( 7:50)  6. Song For The Whales

The second recording by Old and New Dreams was, like its first from three years earlier, named after the group. Trumpeter Don Cherry, tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell made for a mighty team, performing high-quality free bop in the tradition of the Ornette Coleman Quartet (of which they were all alumni). In addition to two of Ornette's tunes (including a lengthy exploration of "Lonely Woman"), the musicians each contributed an original of their own. Stirring music in a setting that always brought out the best in each of these musicians. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/old-and-new-dreams-1979-mw0000649442

Personnel:  Bass – Charlie Haden;  Drums – Ed Blackwell;  Tenor Saxophone, Oboe [Musette] – Dewey Redman;  Trumpet, Piano – Don Cherry

Old And New Dreams

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Steve Lacy, Don Cherry - Evidence

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 76,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:45) 1. The Mystery Song
(4:59) 2. Evidence
(6:42) 3. Let's Cool One
(4:28) 4. San Francisco Holiday
(5:48) 5. Something To Live For
(5:26) 6. Who Knows

Digitally remastered two-fer containing two albums from the Jazz great. Contains the complete 1962 album Evidence, which was Lacy's fourth album as a leader. It presents him in a piano less quartet with Don Cherry on trumpet, Carl Brown on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The repertoire consists of four pieces by Thelonious Monk, and two by Duke Ellington. As a bonus, we have added Lacy's complete first LP as a leader, Soprano Sax (1957), which also includes compositions by both Monk and Ellington. Poll Winners. Opiniones editoriales https://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Don-Cherry-STEVE-LACY/dp/B006A9XS04

Personnel: Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy; Trumpet – Don Cherry; Bass – Carl Brown ; Drums– Billy Higgins

Evidence

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Don Cherry - Eternal Now

Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:57
Size: 87,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:32)  1. Gamla Stan - The Old Town by Night
(7:53)  2. Love Train
(3:49)  3. Bass Figure for Ballatune (Two pianos and three piano players)
(9:44)  4. Moving Pictures for the Ear
(7:59)  5. Tibet

I'm (almost) discovering this record with you. I've bought it 2 weeks ago at the flea market, and I'm still under the impression. Everybodies knows Don Cherry for his collaborations with the early free jazz activists Ornette Colmenan and Albert Ayler in the 50's, but if you liked my psychedelic Vox Populi! post, and terrestrials tunes such as Raksha Mancham, O Yuki Conjugate or Vasilisk you should enjoyed this LP (side B = wah! wah ! wah!). http://artoflosing.canalblog.com/archives/2010/06/25/18423651.html

Personnel:  Don Cherry - trumpet, piano, harmonium, vocals, h'suan, daster, gong;  Bengt Berger - piano, Tibetan bells, African finger piano, mridangam, cymbal;  Christer Bothén - piano, dousso n'koni, Tibetan bells;  Bernt Rosengren - tárogató;  Agneta Ernström - Tibetan bells, dousso kynia

Eternal Now

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Gary Burton, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry - 3 In Jazz (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:11
Size: 80.6 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 1963/1994
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Hello, Young Lovers
[2:54] 2. Gentle Wind And Falling Tear
[3:44] 3. You Are My Lucky Star
[3:13] 4. I Could Write A Book
[3:01] 5. Sounds Of The Night
[2:26] 6. Cielito Lindo
[3:09] 7. Stella By Starlight
[2:58] 8. Blue Comedy
[5:41] 9. There Will Never Be Another You
[2:32] 10. Blues Tonight
[2:31] 11. When My Dream Boat Comes Home

This CD, a straight reissue of an RCA LP, has three unrelated but consistently interesting sessions that were recorded in 1963. Three selections with tenor-saxophonist Sonny Rollins (the only performances currently available elsewhere) are rather free (and fascinating) versions of standards and also feature cornetist Don Cherry, bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Billy Higgins. Vibraphonist Gary Burton's quartet (with trumpeter Jack Sheldon, bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Vernell Fournier) is fine if not overly memorable on their four numbers but flugelhornist Clark Terry (with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Milt Hinton, drummer Osie Johnson and Willie Rodriguez on Latin percussion) is in superior form, playing with great exuberance on "When My Dream Boat Comes Home" and "Cielito Lindo." Well worth picking up. ~Scott Yanow

3 In Jazz (Remastered) mc
3 In Jazz (Remastered) zippy

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Don Cherry - Swingin' For Two

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:40
Size: 84.0 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956/2008
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. When The Sun Comes Out
[2:35] 2. For You
[2:28] 3. Love Is Just Around The Corner
[3:17] 4. I'll String Along With You
[3:24] 5. I Didn't Know About You
[3:01] 6. So Rare
[3:40] 7. I'm Yours
[2:27] 8. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
[2:52] 9. Please Be Kind
[3:34] 10. My Future Just Passed
[2:42] 11. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
[3:37] 12. Sleepy Time Gal

Pop vocalist Don Cherry was born in Wichita Falls, TX, in 1924. He got his professional start in the music business in his twenties with a short stay as lead singer in the Jan Garber Band. Cherry's spot lasted for all of 17 days. Never one to give up, he did a recording with the Victor Young Orchestra titled "Mona Lisa." His smooth vocal styling drew enough attention that he soon had a record deal. In the '50s he had a number of hit singles under the Columbia Records label. Over the years, Cherry has appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Grand Ole Opry, The Arthur Godfrey Show, The Johnny Carson Show, and many others. He has also performed in major nightclubs in Las Vegas, Reno, Rio de Janeiro, Lake Tahoe, and New Orleans. ~Charlotte Dillon

Swingin' For Two mc
Swingin' For Two zippy

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Ornette Coleman - Change Of The Century

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:35
Size: 95,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:39)  1. Ramblin'
(6:24)  2. Free
(6:59)  3. The Face Of The Bass
(5:16)  4. Forerunner
(5:31)  5. Bird Food
(6:02)  6. Una Muy Bonita
(4:41)  7. Change Of The Century

Change Of The Century was an audacious album title, to say the least. On his second Atlantic release and second with his most like-minded ensemble (trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins) alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman pushed the freedom principal farther. At the same time, he looked backward too for inspiration. Having eliminated the piano on his Contemporary release, Tomorrow Is The Question! (1959), Coleman opened up wide improvisational opportunities. On that recording, he and his "freedom principle" remained partially inhibited by the presence of traditionalist bassist Percy Heath and drummer Shelly Manne, who resisted coloring outside of the lines as Coleman was attempting to do. But that was not so on The Shape Of Jazz To Come (Atlantic, 1959) and Change Of The Century. While the rhythm section continued to provide enough cohesive swing to propel matters, Coleman and Cherry stretched the melodic boundaries without the previous harmonic anchors. Change of the Century is compelling in its embrace of contrasts. "Ramblin'" is funky organic, almost early rock and roll. Haden plucks and strums his way through a fractured 12-bar format that never fully resolves itself into the comfort of the anticipated. Coleman's solo over Haden's support is bar-walking rhythm and blues, lowdown and dirty, smelling of beer and Lucky Strikes. Cherry plays his famous pocket trumpet, sounding closer to Lee Morgan than anyone else, squeezing out hard bop lines like sparks from a metal lathe. Haden solos using the figures he has supported the whole piece with. His intonation is middle-of-the-note, relaxed and slightly wooden. "Ramblin'" retains an erstwhile harmonic structure, albeit only barely. The head of "Free" is an odd premonition for composer/saxophonist Oliver Nelson's "Hoedown" from The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1961), passing through an ascending and descending blues figure. Haden is rock solid throughout, even when the solo-going gets ragged and frayed. Higgins' accents are as potent as pepper, shoring up the edges of chaos on the briskly-timed piece. "The Face Of Bass" gives prominence to Haden while at the same time sounding strangely traditional for an album entitled Change of the Century. But it is a facade. Coleman encourages a careful abandon in the piece's overall structure and arrangement. Cherry pops on his solo, sometimes sounding like Freddie Hubbard, sometimes, Art Farmer.

"Forerunner" pretends that it is bebop, with a serpentine head and a deft drum break by Higgins. Coleman's solo is inspired, quenched in gospel and the blues. His tonal expanse is as big as his native Texas, informed by the many great tenor saxophone players from that state. Cherry emerges assertive, playing with swagger and attitude. So well constructed and delivered is his solo that it is easy to forget that a move toward a freer musical system is in the works. Haden remains stalwart in time-keeping, shepherding everything between the rhythmic ditches. The same can be said for the Charlie Parker-inspired "Bird Food," which is surveyed at a fast clip over a complex note pattern.  "Una Muy Bonita" is only passing Latin, with pianist Thelonious Monk phrasing and side- winding playing. Haden sets up a familiar clave beat with strummed chords. Coleman stages the piece to more insinuate a Latin vibe than to actually play one. After a lengthy introduction, Cherry solos muted, allowing himself a broad swath over which to play. The disc's closer, the title tune, was the most fully-realized "free jazz" at that point from Coleman. It is a wild phantasm of notes that are to "free jazz" what trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's "Bebop" was for that virtuosic genre. It is a clarion call played on impulse. Yes, finally things are really beginning to come apart at the seams, properly foreshadowing Free Jazz: A Group Improvisation (Atlantic, 1961). Coleman has fully gained his traction and is now read. ~C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/ornette-coleman-change-of-the-century-ornette-coleman-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Ornette Coleman: alto saxophone; Don Cherry: pocket trumpet; Charlie Haden: bass; Billy Higgins: drums.

Change Of The Century

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Don Cherry & Willie Nelson - It's Magic

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:11
Size: 94,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. It's Magic
(3:14)  2. What A Wonderful World
(2:32)  3. Summer Wind
(3:09)  4. By The Time I Get To Phoenix
(3:47)  5. Green Green Grass Of Home
(3:13)  6. Again
(3:32)  7. Sweet Memories
(3:18)  8. You've Changed
(3:35)  9. After The Lovin'
(3:46) 10. Try To Remember
(2:30) 11. Give Me The Simple Life
(3:45) 12. Portrait Of My Love

Willie Nelson joins his long-time friend pop singer and pro golfer Don Cherry in a ""beyond awesome"" album ""It's Magic. ~Amazon.com

"...Bing Crosby wasn't the best singer who could play golf. The all-time best golfer/singer, singer/golfer is Don Cherry." Dan Jenkins ~ Golf Digest

"We think that Mr. Don Cherry sings the Country Western music better than anybody in the business, but how he can do it so well and not "DRINK" is something we can't figure out. But he is Great." Dean Martin Frank Sinatra ~ Dean Martin's autobiography

Arnold Palmer's Favorite CD? "Band of Gold by Don Cherry, who's a friend. I beat Don in the 1954 U.S. Amateur." ~ Golf Magazine, September 2003

Don, those CD's are terrific. Thanks so much. ~  personal letter to Don from President George HW Bush

Personnel:  Don Cherry, Willie Nelson (vocals);  Roddy Smith (guitars);  Charlie McCoy (harmonica);  Tom Cherry , Boots Randolph (saxophone);  Bobby Ogdin (keyboards);  Ray VonRotz (drums);  Buzz Cason (background vocals).

It's Magic

Friday, April 7, 2017

Don Cherry - Home Boy

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:57
Size: 95,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:44)  1. Butterfly Friend
(3:11)  2. I Walk
(6:48)  3. Rappin Recipe
(4:11)  4. Reggae To The High Tower
(2:52)  5. Art Deco
(4:35)  6. Call Me
(6:08)  7. Treat Your Lady Right
(3:43)  8. Alphabet City
(5:41)  9. Bamako Love

Imagination and a passion for exploration made Don Cherry one of the most influential jazz musicians of the late 20th century. A founding member of Ornette Coleman's groundbreaking quartet of the late '50s, Cherry continued to expand his musical vocabulary until his death in 1995. In addition to performing and recording with his own bands, Cherry worked with such top-ranked jazz musicians as Steve Lacy, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, and Gato Barbieri. Cherry's most prolific period came in the late '70s and early '80s when he joined Nana Vasconcelos and Collin Walcott in the worldbeat group Codona, and with former bandmates Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell, and saxophonist Dewey Redman in the Coleman-inspired group Old and New Dreams. Cherry later worked with Vasconcelos and saxophonist Carlos Ward in the short-lived group Nu. Born in Oklahoma City in 1936, he first attained prominence with Coleman, with whom he began playing around 1957. At that time Cherry's instrument of choice was a pocket trumpet (or cornet) a miniature version of the full-sized model. The smaller instrument  in Cherry's hands, at least got a smaller, slightly more nasal sound than is typical of the larger horn. Though he would play a regular cornet off and on throughout his career, Cherry remained most closely identified with the pocket instrument. Cherry stayed with Coleman through the early '60s, playing on the first seven (and most influential) of the saxophonist's albums. In 1960, he recorded The Avant-Garde with John Coltrane. After leaving Coleman's band, Cherry played with Steve Lacy, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler. In 1963-1964, Cherry co-led the New York Contemporary Five with Shepp and John Tchicai. With Gato Barbieri, Cherry led a band in Europe from 1964-1966, recording two of his most highly regarded albums, Complete Communion and Symphony for Improvisers. Cherry began the '70s by teaching at Dartmouth College in 1970, and recorded with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra in 1973. He lived in Sweden for four years, and used the country as a base for his travels around Europe and the Middle East. Cherry became increasingly interested in other, mostly non-Western styles of music. 

In the late '70s and early '80s, he performed and recorded with Codona, a cooperative group with percussionist Nana Vasconcelos and multi-instrumentalist Collin Walcott. Codona's sound was a pastiche of African, Asian, and other indigenous musics. Concurrently, Cherry joined with ex-Coleman associates Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, and Dewey Redman to form Old and New Dreams, a band dedicated to playing the compositions of their former employer. After the dissolution of Codona, Cherry formed Nu with Vasconcelos and saxophonist Carlos Ward. In 1988, he made Art Deco, a more traditional album of acoustic jazz, with Haden, Billy Higgins, and saxophonist James Clay. Until his death in 1995, Cherry continued to combine disparate musical genres; his interest in world music never abated. Cherry learned to play and compose for wood flutes, tambura, gamelan, and various other non-Western instruments. Elements of these musics inevitably found their way into his later compositions and performances, as on 1990's Multi Kulti, a characteristic celebration of musical diversity. As a live performer, Cherry was notoriously uneven. It was not unheard of for him to arrive very late for gigs, and his technique never great to begin with showed on occasion a considerable, perhaps inexcusable, decline. In his last years, especially, Cherry seemed less self-possessed as a musician. Yet his musical legacy is one of such influence that his personal failings fade in relative significance. ~ Chris Kelsey & Craig Harris https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/don-cherry/id394729#fullText

Personnel:  Don Cherry - pocket trumpet, vocals, doussn’ gouni, piano, synthesizer, melodica;  Ramuntcho Matta – guitar;  Jannick Top – bass;  Negrito Trasante - bongos, congas, talking drum, rhythm box;  Polo Lombardo – konks;  Claude Salmieri – drums;  Fil Mong – bass;  Jean-Pierre Coco - congas; Abdoulaye Prosper Niang – drums; Elli Medeiros - backing vocals

Home Boy

Monday, April 3, 2017

Ornette Coleman - Complete Live At The Hillcrest Club

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:23
Size: 152,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:07)  1. Klact-Oveeseds-Tene
( 3:52)  2. I Remember Harlem
( 9:38)  3. The Blessing
( 5:39)  4. Free
(14:29)  5. When Will The Blues Leave?
( 4:35)  6. How Deep Is The Ocean?
(14:06)  7. Ramblin'
( 1:55)  8. Crossroads

Ornette Coleman's epic 1959 LPs The Shape of Jazz to Come and Change of the Century were pivot points in modern post-bop jazz and early creative music. This recording is a prelude to those epics, a live two-night engagement in October of 1958 at the Hillcrest Club in Los Angeles. The Coleman quintet, with trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins, plus a then-young pianist Paul Bley, sets up that new shape of jazz. This eight-selection set features three of Coleman's signature originals, two standards, and three lesser-known, fairly rare pieces that Coleman did at the time. The program kicks off with Charlie Parker's "Klactoveedsedstene," an on-fire free bopper where Coleman's alto sax in tandem with Cherry reflects a quest for cleanliness and innocent, alive freshness, well transferred, balanced, and reproduced digitally. Whoever tagged this music unlistenable needs to revisit the symbiosis of the front-line horns present. Three of Coleman's all-time immortal compositions on call are the relaxed and easily swung harmolodic dream "The Blessing" accented by Ornette's piquant alto, the call-and-response-laden "When Will the Blues Leave?," and the post-bop evergreen "Ramblin'." The stairstep ascending and descending melody for "Free" also remains arresting, taking no prisoners. It's interesting how alleged rebel Coleman pays reverence to two ballad standards, Roy Eldridge's pensive "I Remember Harlem" and Cherry's trumpet-led "How Deep Is the Ocean?" Closing is the frantic, scattershot two-minute improvisation "Crossroads." A major fault of this recording is Bley's piano, which is unfortunately so far down in the mix that it is virtually inaudible. One really has to strain, even with headphones, to hear the true depth of Bley's clearly brilliant, probing, but muffled and muted playing. There's no doubt as to the historical and musical significance of this date, and it belongs in the collection of any follower of Coleman, despite the one production flaw. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-live-at-the-hillcrest-club-mw0000584535

Personnel:  Ornette Coleman (as), Don Cherry (tp), Paul Bley (p), Charlie Haden (b) & Billy Higgins (d).

Complete Live At The Hillcrest Club

Friday, February 3, 2017

The Ornette Coleman Quartet - This Is Our Music

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:41
Size: 88.6 MB
Styles: Mainstream jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1961/2014
Art: Front

[5:15] 1. P.S. Unless One Has [blues Connotation]
[7:12] 2. Beauty Is A Rare Thing
[6:33] 3. Kaleidoscope
[4:54] 4. Embraceable You
[4:36] 5. Poise
[5:20] 6. Humpty Dumpty
[4:47] 7. Folk Tale

Ed Blackwell - Drums; Don Cherry - Trumpet; Ornette Coleman - Sax (Alto); Charlie Haden - Bass.

With two landmark albums already under its belt, the Ornette Coleman Quartet spent nearly a year out of the studio before reconvening for This Is Our Music. This time, Billy Higgins is replaced on drums by Ed Blackwell, who has a similar knack for anticipating the ensemble's direction, and proves a more fiery presence on tracks like "Kaleidoscope" and "Folk Tale." The session is also notable for containing the only standard (or, for that matter, the only non-original) Coleman recorded during his tenure with Atlantic -- Gershwin's "Embraceable You," which is given a lyrical interpretation and even a rather old-time, sentimental intro (which may or may not be sarcastic, but really is pretty). In general, though, Coleman disapproved of giving up his own voice and viewed standards as concessions to popular taste; as the unapologetic title of the album makes clear, he wanted to be taken (or left) on his own terms. And that word "our" also makes clear just how important the concept of group improvisation was to Coleman's goals. Anyone can improvise whenever he feels like it, and the players share such empathy that each knows how to add to the feeling of the ensemble without undermining its egalitarian sense of give and take. Their stark, thin textures were highly distinctive, and both Coleman and Cherry chose instruments (respectively, an alto made of plastic rather than brass and a pocket trumpet or cornet instead of a standard trumpet) to accentuate that quality. It's all showcased to best effect here on the hard-swinging "Blues Connotation" and the haunting "Beauty Is a Rare Thing," though pretty much every composition has something to recommend it. All in all, This Is Our Music keeps one of the hottest creative streaks in jazz history going strong. ~Steve Huey

This Is Our Music

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Don Cherry,Dewey Redman,Charlie Haden,Ed Blackwell - Old And New Dreams

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:02
Size: 102,2 MB
Art: Front

( 6:57)  1. Handwoven
( 5:57)  2. Dewey's Tune
( 7:39)  3. Chairman Mao
( 6:48)  4. Next To The Quiet Stream
(10:12)  5. Augmented
( 6:27)  6. Old And New Dreams

The first album from this key group of Ornette Coleman alums an all-star combo that features work from Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Dewey Redman on tenor, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums! The sound here is quite Ornette-inspired at times with a definite late 70s harmelodic groove but given the organic, acoustic nature of the lineup, the sound is almost more faithful to Coleman's vision than Ornette's records of the time. Haden and Blackwell are great together, as always driving the tunes with a rhythmic force that Cherry and Redman can't help but carry through. Titles include "Handwoven", "Dewey's Tune", "Chairman Mao", "Next To The Quiet Stream", "Augmented", and "Old & New Dreams". © 1996-2016, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/78320

Personnel: Don Cherry ( Trumpet );  Dewey Redman ( Tenor Sax, Musette );  Charlie Haden ( Bass );  Ed Blackwell ( Drums )

Old And New Dreams