Don Cherry
Backstage. Edinburgh Queen's Hall. 1990. Photo copyright marc marnie.
Don Cherry
The trumpeter was one of the most individual voices in contemporary jazz
and world music, and he did it swimming against the prevailing tide. In an
age of technically fearsome trumpeters, he emphasised expression and
communication over speed and chops on his distinctive pocket trumpet. From
the epoch-making Ornette Coleman Quartet onwards, he explored not only
jazz, but also the ethnic musics and instruments of Africa, India and Asia,
and did so with an integrity not always evident in such cross-cultural
borrowing. Someone who genuinely earned the title of world musician.
Born: 1936, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Died: 1995