A Tribute to Jazz Legend Don Cherry

From Los Angeles magazine, a review of a new movie on Don Cherry.

Donald Eugene Cherry might have well been speaking of his own musical path, which in part involved seeking out the organic worlds that were denied him as a child. Although most associated with free-jazz titan Ornette Coleman, Cherry’s contributions to multicultural cross-pollination in music, art and poetry were, in their own quiet way, years ahead of their time. He was a pioneer of what we now know as “World Music” and spent years traversing the globe and sitting humbly at the feet of itinerant musicians to learn their techniques. Cherry’s omnivorous vision wasn’t just influential in jazz; it dripped down though the years to the DNA of groups like the Freestyle Fellowship, the Breakestra, and Fishbone. And his is a lineage that keeps on giving, covering the realms of jazz (David Ornette Cherry), R&B (Neneh Cherry), and pop (Eagle-Eye Cherry).