Don Cherry (trumpeter)

Don Cherry
Cherry performing in Münster, Germany, 1987
Cherry performing in Münster, Germany, 1987
Background information
Birth nameDonald Eugene Cherry
Born(1936-11-18)November 18, 1936
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedOctober 19, 1995(1995-10-19) (aged 58)
Málaga, Andalusia, Spain
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
  • Cornet
  • trumpet
  • piano
  • wood flute
  • tambura
  • gamelan

Donald Eugene Cherry (November 18, 1936 – October 19, 1995)[1] was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist. Beginning in the late 1950s, he had a long tenure performing in the bands of saxophonist Ornette Coleman, including on the pioneering free jazz albums The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) and Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation (1961). Cherry also collaborated separately with musicians including John Coltrane, Charlie Haden, Sun Ra, Ed Blackwell, the New York Contemporary Five, and Albert Ayler.

Cherry released his debut album as bandleader, Complete Communion, in 1966. In the 1970s, he became a pioneer in world music, with his work drawing on African, Middle Eastern, and Hindustani music. He was a member of the ECM group Codona, along with percussionist Naná Vasconcelos and sitar and tabla player Collin Walcott.[2] Chris Kelsey of AllMusic called Cherry "one of the most influential jazz musicians of the late 20th century."[3]

  1. ^ Kernfeld, Barry (20 January 2001). "Cherry, Don(ald Eugene)". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.05535. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
  2. ^ Shatz, Adam (6 June 2019). "The Apostle of Now-ness". New York Review of Books. LXVI (10): 30–32.
  3. ^ Kelsey, Chris. "Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2021.