One of the towering figures of American music, Cherry was part of the revolutionary free-bop quartet led by Coleman, an ensemble that helped shift the conversation about jazz from chord changes and swing to freedom and energy. By the late '60s, the pocket-cornet player was living in Sweden, with his wife Karlsson, playing with Swedish musicians from all backgrounds, seeking out exciting partners in a somewhat hippie-like atmosphere. It was in this milieu, in the summers of '71 and '72 that Cherry recorded the tracks for his legendary double LP, Organic Music Society, which was released on Caprice and is now reissued for the first time on CD. The sessions that comprise Organic Music Society are varied and represent several directions in Cherry's oeuvre.

One of the towering figures of American music, Cherry was part of the revolutionary free-bop quartet led by Coleman, an ensemble that helped shift the conversation about jazz from chord changes and swing to freedom and energy. By the late '60s, the pocket-cornet player was living in Sweden, with his wife Karlsson, playing with Swedish musicians from all backgrounds, seeking out exciting partners in a somewhat hippie-like atmosphere. It was in this milieu, in the summers of '71 and '72 that Cherry recorded the tracks for his legendary double LP, Organic Music Society, which was released on Caprice and is now reissued for the first time on CD. The sessions that comprise Organic Music Society are varied and represent several directions in Cherry's oeuvre.

Don Cherry was one of the relatively few big band vocalists of the late '40s who not only built a successful career as a solo performer through the era of traditional middle-of-the-road popular music during the early '50s but made the successful transition to have hits in the years after rock 'n' roll had transformed the pop landscape. He also found time to enjoy a parallel career as a top class amateur golfer and was in contention to win the 1960 US Open. This great-value 75-track 3-CD set comprises selected A and B sides for Decca and Columbia from across the first and most successful decade of his career, from his recording debut with the Victor Young orchestra in 1950 through to the end of the 1950s, by which time he had had made his final appearance in the pop Hot 100. It includes his Top 5 hits "Thinking Of You" and "Band Of Gold" along with all his other chart entries from this era. It includes performances with the orchestras of Artie Shaw, Camarata, Gordon Jenkins, Percy Faith, Norman Leyden and Ray Conniff, and it offers not only a fascinating insight into the development of his style through a dynamic decade in popular music but also an enjoyable showcase for his versatile but distinctive vocal talent.

LIVE AT CAFE MONTMARTRE 1966 3

'Don Cherry, more than any other artist in the jazz of his era, pioneered the music's internationalist nature that has now come to be commonly accepted as an integral part of it's character. The individuality of Cherry's contribution to the history of jazz has often been unfairly obscured by his admittedly important association with the music of Ornette Coleman. While the (pocket) trumpeter's position as Coleman's front line partner in the altoist's first revolutionary quartet was indeed a major one, Cherry's role as one of the founders of the genre that is known today as 'world music' is equally significant. - Russ Musto Featured Artists Don Cherry-trumpet Gato Barbieri-sax Karl Berger-vibes Aldo Romano-drums Bo Steif-bass.

MUSICAL MONSTERS

Vinyl LP pressing. Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell came together to celebrate the work of mentor Ornette Coleman, but the repertoire of their Old and New Dreams quartet soon blossomed into a project of much wider scope, addressing also the musical experiences the players had made individually in their travels around the worldRecorded in Oslo in August 1979 and produced by Manfred Eicher, this vinyl reissue includes new liner notes providing historical context and background information.

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Don Cherry first rose to prominence as part of the Ornette Coleman Quartet that turned the jazz world on it's ear in 1959. Then, in 1965 he began his career as a leader with a run of fiery Blue Note albums including Where Is Brooklyn?, a highly interactive quartet date with Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone, Henry Grimes on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums. Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes.