Don Cherry research

[nad3170]

Dear organissimo members,

I am working on a project of article about Don Cherry's work during the 60's and I am looking for people willing to devote a little time to help. The first step that needs to be taken is to establish a solid chronology of Don's activities and this is something which, to my knowledge, has not been done in a thorough manner for the moment. The period I'm working on is 1963 to 1970, from Don's first visit to Europe with Sonny Rollins to the begining of his work at the Tagarp school in Sweden. I think I already have a good basis thanks to the sources to which I have had access (the French press, a good part of Down Beat 60's issues, Cadence interviews, material from Dartmouth College ....) but this basis needs to be fleshed out to be really complete and for this purpose, I would like to get in touch with people having access to some of the following :

- Magazines from European countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy ... to find concert dates, reviews, news flashes.

- English language magazines such as Coda, Melody Maker, or lesser profile publications such as Sounds & Fury.

- Interviews of people who played with Don (and yes, I'm aware that it means most of the "free" players from the 60's !).

- Unreleased recordings.

- Any of the following articles (mostly interviews) :

Down Beat Music Annual 1964 yearbook / African Revolution 1964-jan / Melody Maker 1967-apr-22 / Soho Weekly News 1975-jun-05 / Down Beat 1975-oct-09 / Down Beat 1978-jul-13 / Melody Maker 1979-sep-22 / Down Beat 1980-jun / Down Beat 1983-jun / Down Beat 1986-may / Artist & Influence 1986 (vol IV) [accessible through the electronic collection Black Thought & Culture from Alexander Street Press, which many universities in the US have subscribed to] / Jazziz 1989-aug/sep / Down Beat 1989-nov / Jazzthetik 1990-dec / Jazz Journal 1991-sep / Jazz Now 1994-aug / Jazzthetik 1995-sep / Option 1990-nov/dec / Windplayer #41 / Gallery 41 CD-ROM : An interview with a Jazz legend [couldn't get an answer from the publishers]

- Mike Hames and Roy Wilbraham's "Don Cherry on Disc and Tape" book.

- And of course, any other type of original documents, testimonies of encounters etc. would be very welcomed.

For those who would be interested, I have some rarities to trade in exchange for scans or help : for example the "It Is Revealed" LP and the Bengt Nordström recording from 1963. I also have a good deal of digitized documentation about free musicians that I would be happy to share.

If you'd like to get in touch, please use the following address :

freejazzlibrary@free.fr

Thanks for reading me and best regards,

Pierre

[John L]

I don't have any time to help, unfortunately, and doubt that I could be of much help. But I wish you luck in this noble project.

[clifford_thornton]

Hey Pierre, I'll see what I can dig up on this side of the pond as well. University of Texas jazz periodicals in back issues, etc.

[nad3170]

Thanks for the encouragements John, I need some as Mr. Cherry is not an easy subject of research !

Clifford, if you're in an university, could you see if you have access to the "Black Thought & Culture" electronic collection ?

http://alexanderstreet.com/products/bltc.htm

It contains the full run of the "Artist and Influence" magazine, in which an interview with Cherry was published (and also an interview with Rashied Ali which should also be interesting as there aren't too many Ali interviews around).

Something not related but which might interest you, Clifford (given your nickname) : do you know that the movie shot by William Klein at the 1969 Panafrican Festival has recently been issued on DVD in France ? The publisher is Arte Editions, and I think it is the first time ever the movie is released for home video. The final sequence of the film shows Archie Shepp with the Algerian musicians and his own band which includes Clifford Thornton. Let me know if you want more details, I have the DVD at home.

Anyway, thanks for the help offer !

Best,

Pierre

[AndrewHill]

do you know that the movie shot by William Klein at the 1969 Panafrican Festival has recently been issued on DVD in France ? The publisher is Arte Editions, and I think it is the first time ever the movie is released for home video. The final sequence of the film shows Archie Shepp with the Algerian musicians and his own band which includes Clifford Thornton. Let me know if you want more details, I have the DVD at home.

Woah, I'd like to see this film!

[brownie]

Presume you have been in touch with Gato Barbieri, Karl Berger, Aldo Romano who all have plenty of stories to tell about those Don Cherry years.

I may also be able to dig several issues of 'Sounds & Fury' which I have somewhere!

[Big Beat Steve]

I have full runs (minus 1 or 2 issues, maybe) of the German mag JAZZ PODIUM up to and including 1966 as well as the Swedish mags ORKESTER JOURNALEN and ESTRAD up to late 1963. If you think this would help, I can check them for references to Don Cherry and forward photocopies.

[EKE BBB]

Here's the results to my query "Don Cherry & 1963-1970" in the online index of the Italian Musica Jazz magazine. Not too many entries (and most are disc reviews), but you have two concerts for your chronology. You'll have to contact the Centro Nazionale Studi sul Jazz to get these issues.

Numero di febbraio 1965 (pagg: 43)

Don Cherry - 1958 - 1964

autore Raben, Erik

soggetto Cherry, Don - Discografia dal 1958 al 1964

tipo articolo discografia

rubrica Discografia

scheda a cura di Angeli, Andrea

Numero di marzo 1965 (pagg: 43)

Miscellanea

autore Fresia, Enzo

soggetto Cherry, Don -

tipo articolo discografia

complemento al titolo Correzioni ed aggiunte a discografie precedentemente pubblicate.

rubrica Discografia

scheda a cura di Angeli, Andrea

Numero di giugno 1965 (pagg: 14 - 18)

Festival a Bologna

autore Capasso, Roberto

soggetto Festival Internazionale del jazz di Bologna - Bologna, 12 e 13 maggio 1965. D'Andrea, Franco - (Munari, Gegè - Kofol, Boris) Curson, Ted - Barbieri, Gato - Clarke, Jimmy - Romano, Al - Cherry, Don - Lacy Steve - Griffin, Johnny - Ervin, Booker - Pointdexter, Pony

tipo articolo recensione festival

scheda a cura di Angeli, Andrea

Numero di agosto - settembre 1966 (pagg: 29 - 30)

Giorgio Gaslini

autore Polillo, Arrigo

soggetto Gaslini, Giorgio - "Nuovi sentimenti" - (La voce del padrone QELP 8154) Cherry, Don - Lacy, Steve - Barbieri, Gato - Bedori, Gianni - Rava, Enrico - Jenny Clark, Jean Francois - Tonani, Franco - Romano, Aldo

tipo articolo recensione disco

rubrica Dischi nuovi

scheda a cura di Palagini, Claudio

Numero di agosto - settembre 1966 (pagg: 13 - 16)

Free jazz a Roma

autore Capasso, Roberto - Santucci, Umberto

soggetto "Free Jazz" - concerto a Roma, Teatro Parioli, 11 giugno 1966 Waldron, Mal - (Goya, Dodo - Tonani, Franco) Lacy, Steve - (Djiani, Johnny - Romano, Aldo) Bley, Paul - (Levinson, Mark - Altschul, Barry) Cherry, Don - (Barbieri, Gato - Djiani, Johnny - Romano, Aldo)

tipo articolo recensione concerto

complemento al titolo Un concerto di "free jazz" non può non suscitare discussioni e polemiche. Così è stato anche per quello al Tetro Parioli, a Roma, nel giugno scorso. Ne pubblichiamo due resoconti, per consentire al lettore di scegliere, fra i contrastanti punti di vista dei due recensori, quella che a lui sembre la verità.

scheda a cura di Palagini, Claudio

Numero di gennaio 1968 (pagg: 45)

Don Cherry - Blue Note 84247

autore Fresia, Enzo - Tollara, Gianni

soggetto Cherry, Don - Blue Note 84247

tipo articolo scheda disco

rubrica Dischi editi in Italia

scheda a cura di Palagini, Claudio

Numero di marzo 1968 (pagg: 24)

Don Cherry

autore Polillo, Arrigo

soggetto Cherry, Don - "Symphony For Improvisers" - (Blue Note BST 84247) Barbieri, Gato - Sanders, Pharoah - Berger, Karl - Grimes, Henry - Clark, Jenny - Blackwell, Eddie

tipo articolo recensione disco

rubrica Dischi nuovi

scheda a cura di Palagini, Claudio

Numero di febbraio 1969 (pagg: 43-44)

Archie Shepp

autore Maletto, Gian Mario

soggetto Shepp, Archie - "Archie Shepp And The New York Contemporary Five" - (Polydor International 623 - 235) Cherry, Don - Moore, Don - Moses, John Curtis - Tchicai, John

tipo articolo recensione disco

rubrica Dischi nuovi

scheda a cura di Palagini, Claudio

Numero di novembre 1969 (pagg: 09 - 12)

Free Jazz

autore Piacentino, Giuseppe

soggetto Coleman, Ornette - "Free Jazz" - (Atlantic 1364) Dolphy, Eric - Hubbard, Freddie - Cherry, Don - LaFaro, Scott - Haden, Charlie - Blackwell, Ed - Higgins, Bill dettagliata recensione, profili dei musicisti e contesto storico Pollock, Jackson - pittore, copertina del disco

tipo articolo recensione disco

complemento al titolo Una approfondita disamina della registrazione effetuata nel 1960 dal doppio quartetto dI Ornette Coleman da cui ha preso il nome tutto il jazz d’avanguardia degli anni sessanta

scheda a cura di Palagini, Claudio

Best regards,

Agustín Pérez

Madrid

[EKE BBB]

From my Tete Montoliu research, here's a couple of entries that will be of interest for you (October 1-20, 1963 engagement of the NYCF at the Jazzhus Montmartre & August 22, 1967 concert with Yusef Lateef, also at the Montmartre):

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: October 1-20, 1963

Location: Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen, Denmark

Label: [no known recording]

Tete Montoliu (ldr), Tete Montoliu (p), Benny Nielsen (b), William Schiöpffe (d)

a. [unknown titles]

As the Jazzhus Montmartre listings confirm, from October 1 to October 20, Tete Montoliu played on the night shift (Mondays off - October 2, 9 & 16), starting right after the New York Contemporary Five's last set. Sometimes Bent Jaedig would join the Tete Montoliu Trio (Politiken, October 5, 1963).

Although MJ, JP and the Quàrtica Jazz #1 interview state that "for twenty consecutive nights, Tete Montoliu played with the New York Contemporary Five", this has been categorically denied by NYCF's John Tchicai and by Herluf Kamp Larsen, owner of the Montmartre. Politiken and other Danish newspapers from those days include several references to the NYCF concerts and to Montoliu playing on the night shift, but without reference to such a collaboration.

According to Herluf Kamp Larsen, the NYCF used very strict arrangements for a limited repertoire, with a limited audience, which meant that they didn't go on playing into the night. John Tchicai was not the jamming kind of musician (and had family and friends in Copenhagen), and he would leave after NYCF's last set. On the other hand, Don Cherry, J. C. Moses and Archie Shepp loved to jam and would stay around for the night shift. So most probably Tete Montoliu was referring to these musicians jamming with his trio.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: August 22, 1967

Location: Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen, Denmark

Label: [radio broadcast]

Yusef Lateef (ldr), Yusef Lateef (f, ts), Don Cherry (t, fh), Tete Montoliu (p), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b), Albert 'Tootie' Heath (d)

a. Frere Jacques (Traditional)

b. Delilah (Victor Young)

Additional unknown titles.

Frere Jacques listed as "Yusef's French Brother"

Further details needed on specific instrument details.

Tape exists.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[nad3170]

Presume you have been in touch with Gato Barbieri, Karl Berger, Aldo Romano who all have plenty of stories to tell about those Don Cherry years.

I may also be able to dig several issues of 'Sounds & Fury' which I have somewhere!

Hi brownie,

I have not contacted Barbieri, Berger or Romano yet. I prefer to establish a chronology as solid as possible before contacting musicians because in most cases they don't remember the dates precisely after 40 years ... so I'm waiting until I have enough material to direct the questions as precisely as possible, and enough material to make the most sense of their answers ! But I will try to contact them in due time. Romano was interviewed during the broadcast of the recent concert in tribute to Don Cherry with Texier, and he said "there's a book to be written about all that" ... promising!

Regarding your Sounds & Fury collection, I'd be very interested if we could exchange scans or photocopies. Those magazines are really hard to find and it would be nice to have some of this material at hand for future research. If you want things from Jazz Hot or Jazz Mag, let me know because I have a nearly complete collection spanning 1957 to the 80's.

Best,

Pierre

[brownie]

Regarding your Sounds & Fury collection, I'd be very interested if we could exchange scans or photocopies. Those magazines are really hard to find and it would be nice to have some of this material at hand for future research. If you want things from Jazz Hot or Jazz Mag, let me know because I have a nearly complete collection spanning 1957 to the 80's.

Best,

Pierre

Pierre, j'espère retrouver ces Sounds and Fury! Envoie-moi un PM ou email avec tes coordonnées! Merci, Guy

[nad3170]

Thanks a lot for the info Augustin, I had seen mentions of the 1967 tape but now I can move it to the "reliable" category. Would you by any chance own a copy of the recording ? Hearing those musicians play "Frère Jacques" must be quite something. Thanks also for the Musica Jazz references, I'll see if I can locate the concert reviews. As I was saying in my previous message, I have a good collection of French magazines so if you need scans for your Montoliu work, let me know.

And Steve, I sent you an email.

Edited April 20, 2010 by nad3170

[Niko]

just in case, some google finds

Photo in a 1968 Ebony article on James Baldwin

off-topic: Mike Zwerin interviews Elvin Jones in the Village Voice (1967)

[AndrewHill]

Presume you have been in touch with Gato Barbieri, Karl Berger, Aldo Romano who all have plenty of stories to tell about those Don Cherry years.

Nice reference Brownie! I became a Karl Berger fan because of "Symphony for Improvisers"!

[brownie]

I have a personal remembrance of "Symphony'. Gato Barbieri needed money to fly from Paris to New York to record the album. I loaned him the airfare. Never got the money back. No grudge, his financial situation was in odd shape at the time.

I love the album!

My personal contribution to Blue Note history

[AndrewHill]

I have a personal remembrance of "Symphony'. Gato Barbieri needed money to fly from Paris to New York to record the album. I loaned him the airfare. Never got the money back. No grudge, his financial situation was in odd shape at the time.

I love the album!

My personal contribution to Blue Note history

Nice story!

[Big Beat Steve]

I have a personal remembrance of "Symphony'. Gato Barbieri needed money to fly from Paris to New York to record the album. I loaned him the airfare. Never got the money back. No grudge, his financial situation was in odd shape at the time.

I love the album!

My personal contribution to Blue Note history

Nice story!

But one must be really dedicated to appreciate (or even cherish) the consequences.

[king ubu]

Great story, brownie! Wow!

I love Gato's contribution on Cherry's Blue Notes!