Don Cherry

Organic Music Don Cherry

Always an independent spirit, Cherry brought his openness and burgeoning knowledge of traditional music from around the world to bear on the bold new music. By the late 1960s, the pocket-cornet player was living in Sweden, with his wife Moki Karlsson, playing with Swedish musicians from all backgrounds, seeking out exiting partners in a somewhat hippie-like atmosphere. It was in this milieu, in the summers of 1971 and 1972 that Cherry recorded the tracks for his legendary double LP, Organic Music Society. Only two tracks ("Elixir" and "Relativity Suite") were recorded in a studio setting; the rest of the music was made live, in wildly divergent circumstances. Along with various top-notch Swedish players -Bengt Berger, Christer Bothén, and Tommy Koverhult -The accomplices include Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz and an early appearance by the Brazilian berimbau specialist Naná Vasconcelos.