Don Cherry (jazz)
For other individuals named Don Cherry, see Don Cherry.Don Cherry (
November 18 1936 â€"
October 19 1995) was an innovative
jazz trumpeter probably best known for his long association with
saxophonist Ornette Coleman.
Cherry was born in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and raised in
Los Angeles, California.
Cherry became well known in jazz in
1958 when he performed 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. In the 1960s Cherry was prolific and appeared in a variety of settings with the leading musicians of the day: he co-led the
Avant-Garde session with
John Coltrane, recorded and toured with
Sonny Rollins, co-led the
New York Contemporary Five in
Manhattan, recorded and toured with
Albert Ayler and with
George Russell.
He then lived for a number of years in
Paris and
Sweden.
In addition to
bebop, Cherry incorporated influences of
Middle Eastern, traditional
African, and
Indian music into his playing. His album
Relativity Suite was notable in that respect.
He appeared on Coleman's 1971 LP
Science Fiction; and in the 1970s and 1980s he reunited with Coleman alumni
Dewey Redman,
Charlie Haden, and
Ed Blackwell in the band
Old And New Dreams. The "world jazz" group
Codona, consisting of Cherry,
percussionist Nana Vasconcelos and
sitar and
tabla player
Collin Walcott, recorded three albums for
ECM.
He continued to seize a wide range of playing opportunities, whether with
Carla Bley's
Escalator Over The Hill project or recordings with
Lou Reed,
Ian Dury,
Rip Rig & Panic and
Sun Ra.
During the 1980s, he also recorded again with the original Ornette Coleman Quartet on
In All Languages, as well as recording
El Corazon, a duet album with Ed Blackwell.
Don Cherry died in
Málaga,
Spain.
His stepdaughters
Neneh Cherry and
Titiyo and his son
Eagle-Eye Cherry are also musicians.
*
The Slits' memoirs of Don Cherry*
Discography*
Don Cherry biography (in German and English) and bibliography (in English)
