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Don Cherry: Symphony for Improvisers
Consisting of two movements of over nineteen minutes each, the reissued Symphony for Improvisers is a lesson in controlled chaos that remains eminently musical. The first movement consists of explosive music with Pharoah Sanders playing piccolo, while Gato Barbieri, Cherry, and Karl Berger let loose with a cacophony. Underpinning it all is the near-relentless polyrhythmic churning of drummer Ed Blackwell and the steady basses of Henry Grimes and JeanFrancois Jenny-Clark. The more musically varied second movement begins with a brief, mellow solo by Cherry. Things soon switch into high gear again with shotgun saxophone solos from Barbieri and Sanders, with other band members joining in the musical gala as they take the music to its conclusion, stopping on a dime.
This music is cerebral without being cold, freewheeling without degenerating into a lot of blowing for the sake of blowing. Never boring, Symphony for Improvisers is for jazz fans with lengthy attention spans and open ears.
Track Listing
Symphony for Improvisers: Symphony for Improvisers/Nu Creative Love/Wha; Manhattan Cry: Manhattan Cry/Lunatic/Sparkle Plenty/Om Nu.
Personnel
Don Cherry
trumpetGato Barbieri: tenor saxophone; Karl Berger: piano, vibraphone; Ed Blackwell: drums; Don Cherry: trumpet, cornet; Henry Grimes: bass; Jean-Fran
Album information
Title: Symphony for Improvisers | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Blue Note Records
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