BYG Records & Charly Records / Europe / RE 2024
Don Cherry’s first chapter of his legendary “Mu” recordings has never sounded more vital or compelling.
Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell, graduates of the revolutionary Ornette Coleman quartet, are in perfect accord on this seminal free jazz set, recorded in Paris during the late sixties. The emphasis, as on all Don Cherry releases, is on the life-giving, often magical qualities of pure sound, created on instruments ranging from Indian and bamboo flutes to his signature pocket trumpet.
What’s also significant is that a composition like “Mu” was built entirely on improvisation, not just the solos, but the entire piece. All the parts played by the two musicians, the order and even the duration arose from within the session itself, and without anything being preconceived.
This album is a masterclass of improvisation delivered by two musicians of impeccable integrity who play what they felt and heard with complete freedom, and at exactly the right time.