Don Cherry and the 1960s
Returning to the late 1960s. Going through what I’ve written. Writing new material. Finalising chapters. They’re probably too long. But there’s so much to tell. There was always a lot going on in the life of Don Cherry – but some periods are more significant than others.
With the album Symphony for Improvisers, something radical happened to his music. It opened up. It became more of a framework for improvisation. The melodies never lost their importance, but took on a different role. The crucial collaboration with Moki Cherry in Movement Incorporated began; Turkish music, with all its unusual time signatures, took hold; the whole world made its entrance; he visited Oslo and Jan Garbarek, played with Bernt Rosengren in Stockholm; in Germany, opportunities arose to lead improvising big bands, and so on.
In December 1967, he took part in his first Free Jazz Meeting in Baden-Baden, Germany. Three days of musical exchange with musicians from America and Europe. Jeanne Lee, Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Albert Mangelsdorff, Sven-Åke Johansson and Marion Brown were just a few of the twenty or so musicians who took part. There were no concerts, only radio recordings, some of which were subsequently broadcast. For Cherry, it marked the start of his many big band sessions featuring improvised music.
In October, I will be giving two lecture's on Don Cherry’s 1960s:
Firstly, at the Scenkonstmuseet in Stockholm on 14 October at 18.00. An event organised by Caprice/Musikverket as part of the Stockholm Jazz Festival. Admission is free, but advance booking is required.
On 22 October, I will focus even more on the year 1967 during a Zoom lecture at the American organisation Crossing Tones, organised by Ben Young. More information will be available soon on their website.
It would be nice to see you there!
And, the link in my former newsletter was broken. It's now working fine with the whole song listenable. Thanks for letting med know Luciano!
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