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Don Cherry
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Trumpet player Don Cherry was pretty much Blue Note’s premiere find in the 60s avant-garde jazz sweepstakes. The label was a bit late to the party, and though they ended up releasing excellent recordings by formidable avant-garde names such as Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor, that was only after these musicians had already done groundbreaking work on other labels who proceeded to drop them eventually. 1964’s Complete Communion was Cherry’s first for Blue Note, and it featured tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, who became a part of Cherry’s regular European group. In the U.S. Cherry was playing with an ensemble that included tenor sax player Pharoah Sanders before he collaborated with John Coltrane. Symphony for Improvisers, recorded in 1966, combines the two, at least on one track.
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Don Cherry has got to be the best-kept secret in the music arena. He is no secret, really. He is... a timeless and priceless treasure. Such a treasure as he should not be kept hidden and forgotten about, but rather, be esteemed and proudly and majestically showcased over and over and over again. Don Cherry is Americana and his colors should never fade but always remain bright.
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Over the past three and a half decades Don Cherry has created one of the most unique voices in modern music. From his major introduction to the public as a member of the ground-breaking Ornette Coleman Quartet of the late 50s and early 60s to his numerous collaborations with some of the most adventurous and creative minds in music, the sound of his pocket trumpet has become an instantly recognizable notice that a musical journey is about to take place.
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Born in Oklahoma City but raised in Los Angeles by music-loving parents, Don Cherry spent his childhood surrounded by the sounds of the swing music of the 30s and 40s. By his early teens he had taken up the trumpet, and by his late teens he was already working as a professional musician in the be-bop field. In the latter half of the 1950s his future as one of the leading names in the jazz avant-garde was set in motion by a chance meeting with saxophonist Ornette Coleman in a record store; before long he was a full-time member of Coleman's quartet, developing a new form of musical expression on the club circuit. With the release of the quartet's first album Something Else!!! in 1958, the free jazz movement was given its first substantial public statement - a development for which, at the time, many in the jazz community were somewhat lacking in appreciation.
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During his earlier years, Don Cherry played hockey and eventually became a coach. When he got too old for the coaching job, he landed a deal with CBC to do a piece called Coach's Corner, a five-minute talk between periods of hockey games about the game currently being broadcast, about other games, and about hockey-related news. Coach's Corner has been around for over 25 years now, and Cherry has become something of a legend in Canada. Just about everyone in Canada knows who he is, or at least knows his name. Thanks to sattelite TV, he is ... becoming known in the US. Even Canadian solders stationed in Iraq have special cable service so they can watch Coach's Corner.
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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, Tthe Grand Ole Opry, The Arthur Godfrey Show, The Johnny Carson Show, and many others.
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Don Cherry