edited by Lawrence Kumpf, Naima Karlsson and Macnus Nygren (Music 781.65 Cherry)
Don Cherry first came to prominence
as a member of Ornette Coleman’s band on his first albums from the late 50s and
early 60s. His work with Ornette helped to lay the foundations for much of jazz
music throughout the 60s and 70s, as free jazz concepts became an important
part of the conversation. Cherry became a sideman/guest performer of choice for
many important jazz artists throughout those decades, appearing with Sonny
Rollins, Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, George Russell, Sun Ra, Archie Shepp,
Charlie Haden, and many more. But even as one of the earliest well-known
performers of free jazz, Cherry was always looking forward into even more areas
of music. He collaborated with contemporary classical musicians, such as
composers Jon Appleton, Jean Schwarz, and Krystof Penderecki. He made his own
solo albums, adding musical concepts and instruments from all around the world
into his own inclusive approach. During his travels and explorations, he
gradually became one of the earliest pioneers of what’s now generally referred
to as “world fusion” music, or world music generally made by Western musicians
that may combine a variety of world music ideas and sounds with western musical
concepts. Some of Cherry’s later music, like his early 80s albums with the
Codona trio, are just as foundational for world fusion as his earlier efforts
were toward free jazz.
Cherry’s transition between jazz
and world musics took place most prominently during a period in which he
collaborated closely with his wife Moki, who was an interdisciplinary artist
focusing mostly on textiles and fashion design. Between 1966 and 1977, the two
of them shared a comprehensive project they called “Organic Music” or “Organic
Music Theatre,” which hasn’t been discussed much within the larger tale of
either artists’ history until now. That will likely change with the publication
of the extensive book Organic Music Societies, edited by Lawrence Kumpf,
Naima Karlsson and Magnus Nygren, which you can now borrow from the Polley
Music Library.
Spending just a few minutes
flipping through Organic Music Societies will make it clear to
readers that the Organic Music concept was far more than a musical concept.
First there is the question of what “world music” meant to Cherry in this
formative era: as Lawrence Kumpf describes in the book’s introduction, “One of
the goals of this book is to foster better understanding of what Don and his
collaborators meant by ‘world music.’” Looking at these very early stages of
world music’s development, this is indeed an important question whose answers
shed light on many strains of music produced in subsequent decades. But this
fascinating book, which includes primary source writings, interviews and art
from Don and Moki along with many essays from their collaborators and critics,
reveals a decade of activity in which music was only part of a larger effort
toward living and working organically and creatively. Organic Music as a
concept turns out to be an all-encompassing way of living and working. It was
music, but it was also visual art, theater, film, dance, clothing, diet, and
education in the form of workshops for adults and children. Where music was
concerned, the concept involved an embrace of musical influences from around
the world, with an emphasis on folk music forms and improvisation to bring
everything together. This involved integrating both musical styles and musical
instruments from around the world. And all of these activities were intended to
be non-commercial in nature, blurring the lines between artists and audiences,
and communal-style living was another way to minimize hierarchies and share
resources and talents.
In terms of written highlights in
this book, I was especially impressed with Don Cherry’s “Report to ABF” and “At
Dartmouth: A Teaching Report,” both primary-source documents in which he
describes his teaching style in Organic Music-oriented workshops. The ABF
report is letting the Swedish Workers’ Educational Association know what he’s
doing in weekly workshops with musicians in 1968. In these, the focus was on
group playing of long tones to bring participants into a certain “oneness” of
focus, from which other kinds of musical expression such as Eastern rhythms and
scales could be studied and used for improvisation. Similarly, his report of
teaching a class at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire during his 1970
residency involved getting the class to be able to feel and improvise together,
and then they put on a “living opera” performance at the end of the term. In
both environments, it’s clear that he was emphasizing learning from a wide
range of disciplines, and doing so from the perspective of a deep listener, to
borrow a concept from Pauline Oliveros that seems to fit perfectly. And the
various excerpts of Moki Cherry’s diaries and poetry included in the book help
to lay the context for their working and living together as well, as she
recounts first meeting Don and how they came to move to Sweden for much of the
Organic Music period. I was also taken by her observations about the way they
came to adopt somewhat different roles to keep everything working. As she notes
in her diary, “Don was wonderful but completely impractical, which meant I took
on the practical tasks. Stubborn as I am, if I did not know how to do
something, I would learn. Don was great at playing with the children while I
cooked, etc.” There’s a theme one often hears around artist couples!
Speaking of Moki, while learning
about the Organic Music era through writing is a fantastic resource, the book
is packed with visual resources, too. The visual aesthetic of Organic Music was
almost entirely Moki’s work, as she produced beautiful, brightly colored
mixed-fabric tapestries that were used as backdrops for performances and on
many of Don’s album covers. A detail from one of these serves as this book’s
front cover. Many of her fabric arts projects and posters from this era are
reproduced in the book. Photographs are also a critical part of the book, which
features both live photography from performances and events, as well as some
more personal candid photos from their home life and behind-the-scenes images
of setting up exhibitions and performance spaces.
All told, Organic Music Societies gives us as thorough a
sense of this unique period as we’re likely to get. The music Cherry created or
co-created during this era remains some of his best work, and both the sounds
and sights around it tend to be colorful and optimistic, something we can all
use in these complicated times. An inspirational book for remembering that
music can be a powerful force toward bringing people together.
(If you enjoy this, you may also
wish to try Black Music: Essays by Amiri Baraka or Free Jazz, Harmolodics, and Ornette Coleman by Stephen
Rush.)
( publisher's official Organic Music Societies book web page )
Recommended
by Scott S.
Polley Music Library
Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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