Search - Don Cherry :: Mu First Part / Mu Second Part

Classic Duets

A. Davis | Greenville, SC | 04/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don Cherry's music has lately been slowly trickling out on CD. This excellent Duet recording with Ed Blackwell brings together the two "Mu" albums recorded in Paris in 1969. The chemistry of these two Musical Masters is great. Cherry's trumpet is big, bold and as vibrant as ever - darting and diving while Blackwell provides a perfect catalyst for explosive interactions. I especially enjoy Cherry's Bamboo flute and Piano sprinkled througout this disc. I love the way the sound shifts to different cultures without losing Cherry's unique vibe. This music is very tasteful and you can easily lose yourself in its' beauty. These two artist paint vivid musical pictures with plenty of textures and great color. Cherry and Blackwell are very insightful and intuitive throughout the recording. There are no weak moments. I wish someone would do a complete box set of all of Cherry's music. He was definitely a well respected musician around the globe, but still goes under-appreciated here at home. If you enjoyed the duet recordings of Ornette Coleman (Soapsuds, Soapsuds) or Charlie Haden ("Closeness" Duets & The Golden Number), You will enjoy listening to this music. Great recording - 4 1/2 Stars."

Great disc, see ORIENT

Allan MacInnis | Vancouver | 01/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had this COOL review of MU that I wrote an' I'm still bummed about it bein' lost when Charly folded. See my ORIENT review to get my take on MU and its place in Cherry's development; my theory is that basically after free jazz, Cherry was seeking foundations for an order in jazz that didn't emerge from the canonized baggage of western tradition, that grew up organically like life itself, and ended up naturally turning to tribal music, to a sort of neoprimitivism; this means making a recording that could afford to be far more lyrical, gentle, and playful than "free jazz" per se, tho' it's still ostensibly free jazz, I suppose. ORIENT, which, if th' gods are willing, will remain reissued for awhile, is the next step in this development; having found a place to begin again, Cherry begins really enthusiastically experimenting with incorporating "world" elements into his music, from Tibetan chant to African thumb pianos. MU, tho', is the beginning of that movement, and it's always exciting to hear. By the way, the trippy art is by Cherry's wife, Mocqui (I think I'm spelling that right). Try to see the European import cover for BROWN RICE some time, for a REALLY beautiful example of her work."

Mu music!

Funkmeister G | 11/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don Cherry is mostly known as a trumpeter & sideman to Ornette Coleman, here he branches out into different sound territories on a whole bunch of instruments, most notably proving himself an excellent pianist. The Mysticism of My Sound displays this perfectly, somewhat reminiscent of Herbie Hancock's Cantalooupe Island. He is more than ably supported by Ed Blackwell who in that classic Ornette quartet when alternating from Billy Higgins, he was always the louder, harder-hitting one. Here the patterns are more in a "world music" style, though before the term was coined & before it became Ikea soundtracks. The comparisons to the mighty Interstellar Space make sense on some tracks though nowhere near as earth-shatteringly ferocious. MU [also the title of a Sun Ra song coincidentally from 1969 & the band Beefheart's guitarist Jeff Cotton formed post- Trout Mask] has a very distinct sound, the likes of which hardly anyone seems likely to repeat. It also was the 1st release [well, vol 1 anyway] on the important free jazz label BYG/Actuel. But the personal satisfaction you'll get should well outweight such trivia. Dig in."