Speak/Sing Native™ Artist Archive
Don Cherry (1936-1995)
Choctaw
"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." (source: Allmusic)
Don Cherry interviewed while playing the Jazz Café
“…‘I have been developing from the experiences that I had, and my mind has stayed open and I am still trying to develop in music. Having children that are involved in music and hearing what they are doing makes you stay up in what’s going on. Also, during my travels I met many masters who wanted to share with me the knowledge of their own culture and music. This includes Turkey, Africa and India – those are the countries that I’ve travelled in. I’ve also stayed at home in Oklahoma with my Choctaw American Indian ancestors and I’m very happy that I’ve met Jim Pepper, a tenor saxophone player who’s American Indian. He’s Kaw Indian and some of the songs that he’s written or that he’s continued from his tribe – the Kaw and Cheyenne tribes – some of their songs that he’s put the jazz touch to keep alive the American Indian tradition in music…..” Excerpted from Jazz Journal UK Sep 1991
Professional Information
Albums as leader or co-leader (42):
1960 - The Avant-Garde
1965 - Togetherness / Cherry Jam / Complete Communion
1966 - Live at Cafe Montmartre Volume 1 / Volume 2 / Volume 3 / Symphony for Improvisers / Where Is Brooklyn?
1968 - The Summer House Sessions / Live In Stockholm / Eternal Rhythm
1969 - Mu First Part / Eternal Rhythm / Eternal Rhythm / Live Ankara / Human Music
1971 - Actions / Orient / Blue Lake
1972 - Organic Music Society / Universal Silence / Organic Music Theatre Festival De Jazz De Chateauvallon
1973 - Relativity Suite / Eternal Now
1975 - Brown Rice
1976 - Hear & Now / Om Shanti Om
1977 - Modern Art
1982 - El Corazón
1985 - Home Boy (Sister Out)
1986 - Nu: Live at the Bracknell Jazz Festival
1987 - Nu: Live in Glasgow
1988 - Art Deco / Multikulti
1993 - Dona Nostra
With Old and New Dreams (band)
1976 - Old and New Dreams
1979 - Old and New Dreams
1980 - Playing
1987 - A Tribute to Blackwell
With Codona (band)
1979 - Codona
1981 - Codona 2
1983 - Codona 3
As sideman (68):
With Ornette Coleman (16)
1958 - Something Else!!!!
1959 - Tomorrow Is the Question! /The Shape of Jazz to Come / Twins / The Art of the Improvisers / To Whom Who Keeps a Record
1960 - Change of the Century / This is our Music / Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation
1961 - Ornette! / Ornette on Tenor
1969 - Crisis
1971 - Science Fiction / Broken Shadows / The Complete Science Fiction Sessions
1987 - In All Languages
With Paul Bley (2) 1958 - Live at the Hilcrest Club / Coleman Classics Volume 1
With Steve Lacy (1) 1962 - Evidence
With the New York Contemporary Five (3)
1963 - Consequences / Vol. 1 / Vol. 2
1964 - Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary Five
With Albert Ayler (4)
1964 - Ghosts / The Hilversum Session
1965 - New York Eye and Ear Control
2002 - The Copenhagen Tapes
With Ed Blackwell (3)
1968 - Shades of Edward Blackwell / The Complete Clifford Jordan Strata-East Sessions
1992 - What It Be Like? Ed Blackwell Project Vol. 2 (one track)
With Michael Mantler (2) 1968 - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra; 1973 - No Answer
With Charlie Haden (4)
1969 - Liberation Music Orchestra
1976 - The Golden Number (one track)
1986 - The Ballad of the Fallen
1989 - The Montreal Tapes: with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell
With Allen Ginsberg (1) 1970 - Songs of Innocence and Experience
With Carla Bley (1) 1971 - Escalator over the Hill
With Clifford Jordan (1) 1972 - In the World
With Charles Brackeen (1) 1973 - Rhythm X
With Abdullah Ibrahim (1) 1977 - The Journey
With Bongwater (1) 1988 - Double Bummer
With Sunny Murray (1) 1965 - Sunny's Time Now
With Jim Pepper (1) 1983 - Comin' and Goin'
With Sonny Rollins (1) 1962 - Our Man in Jazz
With George Russell (1) 1965 - George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall
With Sun Ra (4)
1983 – Hiroshima / Stars That Shine Darkly
1990 - Purple Night
1993 - Somewhere Else
With Lou Reed (1) 1979 - The Bells
With Charlie Rouse (1) 1989 - Epistrophy
With others (16)
1968 - Wilbur Ware - Super Bass
1969 - Albert Heath, James Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Ed Blackwell - Kawaida
1973 - Alejandro Jodorowsky - The Holy Mountain Soundtrack (film)
1975 - Terry Riley - Terry Riley and Don Cherry Duo
1976 - Steve Hillage - L
1977 - Collin Walcott - Grazing Dreams
1978 - Latif Khan – Music
1978 - Johnny Dyani – Song for Biko
1979 - Masahiko Togashi - Session In Paris, Vol. 1 "Song Of Soil"
1981 - Bengt Berger – Bitter Funeral Beer
1982 - Rip Rig + Panic – I Am Cold
1982 - Bengt Berger Bitter Funeral Beer Band – Live in Frankfurt
1982 - Billy Bang – Untitled Gift
1983 - Dag Vag – Almanacka
1984 - Frank Lowe – Decision in Paradise
1990 - Jai Uttal – Footprints
Nenah Cherry, David Ornette Cherry, Eagle Eye Cherry (his children), Jim Pepper, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, his trio Codona (with Nana Vasconcelos and Collin Walcott), Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Gato Barbieri and many others.
Albums as leader or co-leader (42):
1960 - The Avant-Garde
1965 - Togetherness / Cherry Jam / Complete Communion
1966 - Live at Cafe Montmartre Volume 1 / Volume 2 / Volume 3 / Symphony for Improvisers / Where Is Brooklyn?
1968 - The Summer House Sessions / Live In Stockholm / Eternal Rhythm
1969 - Mu First Part / Eternal Rhythm / Eternal Rhythm / Live Ankara / Human Music
1971 - Actions / Orient / Blue Lake
1972 - Organic Music Society / Universal Silence / Organic Music Theatre Festival De Jazz De Chateauvallon
1973 - Relativity Suite / Eternal Now
1975 - Brown Rice
1976 - Hear & Now / Om Shanti Om
1977 - Modern Art
1982 - El Corazón
1985 - Home Boy (Sister Out)
1986 - Nu: Live at the Bracknell Jazz Festival
1987 - Nu: Live in Glasgow
1988 - Art Deco / Multikulti
1993 - Dona Nostra
With Old and New Dreams (band)
1976 - Old and New Dreams
1979 - Old and New Dreams
1980 - Playing
1987 - A Tribute to Blackwell
With Codona (band)
1979 - Codona
1981 - Codona 2
1983 - Codona 3
As sideman (68):
With Ornette Coleman (16)
1958 - Something Else!!!!
1959 - Tomorrow Is the Question! /The Shape of Jazz to Come / Twins / The Art of the Improvisers / To Whom Who Keeps a Record
1960 - Change of the Century / This is our Music / Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation
1961 - Ornette! / Ornette on Tenor
1969 - Crisis
1971 - Science Fiction / Broken Shadows / The Complete Science Fiction Sessions
1987 - In All Languages
With Paul Bley (2) 1958 - Live at the Hilcrest Club / Coleman Classics Volume 1
With Steve Lacy (1) 1962 - Evidence
With the New York Contemporary Five (3)
1963 - Consequences / Vol. 1 / Vol. 2
1964 - Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary Five
With Albert Ayler (4)
1964 - Ghosts / The Hilversum Session
1965 - New York Eye and Ear Control
2002 - The Copenhagen Tapes
With Ed Blackwell (3)
1968 - Shades of Edward Blackwell / The Complete Clifford Jordan Strata-East Sessions
1992 - What It Be Like? Ed Blackwell Project Vol. 2 (one track)
With Michael Mantler (2) 1968 - The Jazz Composer's Orchestra; 1973 - No Answer
With Charlie Haden (4)
1969 - Liberation Music Orchestra
1976 - The Golden Number (one track)
1986 - The Ballad of the Fallen
1989 - The Montreal Tapes: with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell
With Allen Ginsberg (1) 1970 - Songs of Innocence and Experience
With Carla Bley (1) 1971 - Escalator over the Hill
With Clifford Jordan (1) 1972 - In the World
With Charles Brackeen (1) 1973 - Rhythm X
With Abdullah Ibrahim (1) 1977 - The Journey
With Bongwater (1) 1988 - Double Bummer
With Sunny Murray (1) 1965 - Sunny's Time Now
With Jim Pepper (1) 1983 - Comin' and Goin'
With Sonny Rollins (1) 1962 - Our Man in Jazz
With George Russell (1) 1965 - George Russell Sextet at Beethoven Hall
With Sun Ra (4)
1983 – Hiroshima / Stars That Shine Darkly
1990 - Purple Night
1993 - Somewhere Else
With Lou Reed (1) 1979 - The Bells
With Charlie Rouse (1) 1989 - Epistrophy
With others (16)
1968 - Wilbur Ware - Super Bass
1969 - Albert Heath, James Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Ed Blackwell - Kawaida
1973 - Alejandro Jodorowsky - The Holy Mountain Soundtrack (film)
1975 - Terry Riley - Terry Riley and Don Cherry Duo
1976 - Steve Hillage - L
1977 - Collin Walcott - Grazing Dreams
1978 - Latif Khan – Music
1978 - Johnny Dyani – Song for Biko
1979 - Masahiko Togashi - Session In Paris, Vol. 1 "Song Of Soil"
1981 - Bengt Berger – Bitter Funeral Beer
1982 - Rip Rig + Panic – I Am Cold
1982 - Bengt Berger Bitter Funeral Beer Band – Live in Frankfurt
1982 - Billy Bang – Untitled Gift
1983 - Dag Vag – Almanacka
1984 - Frank Lowe – Decision in Paradise
1990 - Jai Uttal – Footprints
Jazz, free jazz, World music
Musician, composer, bandleader
doussin'gouni, Flute, Keys, Pocket trumpet, Vocals
Video
- Don Cherry
Witchi Tai To - Don Cherry
Venue: French TV
Format: Live
Duration: 5:20
Don Cherry family – French TV - Witchi Tai To
- Don Cherry, Marty Fogle (saxophones), David Torn (guitar), Bruce (bass),Trilok Gurtu( tabla, drums, percussion)
Don Cherry - Live at Empire Theatre, Paris 1979 - Don Cherry, Marty Fogle (saxophones), David Torn (guitar), Bruce (bass),Trilok Gurtu( tabla, drums, percussion)
Venue: Empire Theatre, Paris
Format: Live
Duration: 21:47
- Don Cherry, Jim Pepper, others
French Magic Circus at Antibes - Don Cherry, Jim Pepper, others
Venue: French Magic Circus at Antibes
Format: Live
Duration: 1:18:42