Don Cherry, born November 18, 1936 in Oklahoma City, OK, and died October 19, 1995 in Malaga (Spain), as a trumpeter, cornet, flute (doubsn’gouni), melodica, organ, vocals, and Nana Vasconcelos, who was born in Recife on August 2, 1944 in Brazil. Collin Walcott, who was born April 24, 1945 in New York, NY, died November 8, 1984 in Madgeburg (Germany), is a sitarist, tabla, dulcimer, dulcimer, tambani, dulcimer, drumm, vocals, tabla, dulcimer, dulcimer, dulcimer, dulcimer, dulcimer, dulcimer, tom, sanza, dulcimer and dulcimer, dulcimer, dulcimer, dulcimer, sanza, sanza, sanza, sanza, sanza, dulcimer. Codona, a group that merged elements from Latin American and African musical folk traditions to create what became known as world music was perhaps the first of any genre. Nana Vasconcelos, a percussionist from Brazil, provided Brazilian rhythms that he used on a variety Third World instruments. Collin Walcott also added Indian instrumentation, playing sitar and tabla as well as playing dulcimer (and timpani) to the mix. Don Cherry, a jazz trumpet legend, added to the group’s sound melodica, organ and flutes, in addition to trumpet and cornet. The multi-instrumentalists recorded three albums between 1978 and 1982, in between other musical projects. Don Cherry is well-known as a collaborator in Ornette Coleman’s blues scale-based free Jazz experimentations. This was recorded on Coleman’s landmark albums with Charlie Haden, Billie Higgins, and Edward Blackwell in late 1950s and early 1960s. Cherry was a prolific trumpeter and cornet player. He primarily played the pocket trumpet. Cherry was a tireless innovator and appeared on seminal Coleman albums such as Tomorrow Is the Question. Chris Kelsey of All Music Guide says these albums are noteworthy for the interplay between Coleman u0026 Cherry. He described their “elastic relationship [that] were definitely a liberation form the tyranny if equal temperament and literal pulse” as an example of this dynamic. Cherry’s playing was described by Kelsey as “in real sense grounded in bebop.” Although he wasn’t a particularly strong bebop player according to classic standards–his range was limited and his facility was somewhat limited–his style had the hallmarks of modern jazz in terms melody, harmony and phrasing . Cherry is not a classic musician, so it’s a mistake to evaluate him in that way. Like Miles Davis and Coleman, Western musical objectivity was almost irrelevant to his work. Cherry contributed his ideas and talents to the important 1960s free jazz albums by Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler and John Tchicai. Gato Barbieri continued his musical explorations, recording Complete Communion as well as Symphony for Improvisors. These albums were recorded in Europe and led Cherry to travel Africa and Asia where he immersed himself in the indigenous musics of these countries. Cherry established a base in Sweden in the 1970s and began to learn about Middle Eastern and European musical traditions. Cherry learned to play the doussn’ gouni, wooden flute, berimbau and other instruments in jazz during this time. His skills as a pianist were further developed by instruction on keyboards like the melodica and organ. Cherry, Blackwell, bassist Haden and Dewey Redman, saxophonists, formed the group Old and New Dreams in the 1970s to record two albums. They alternated Ornette Coleman songs with original material. Cherry recorded with a variety of musicians, including Lou Reed and Abdullah Ibrahim. In 1995, he died leaving behind a rich musical legacy in jazz and world music. Pop music fans know him as the father of Eagle Eye Cherry and stepfather to Neneh Cherry. Vasconcelos started his musical career at the age of twelve playing bongos and maracas with his father’s band. Soon after, he began to play drums and also learned how to use the berimbau (an instrument that looks like an archer’s bow). He mastered the 7/4 and 5/4 meters, which are common for players in the north. In the middle of the 1960s, he moved to Rio de Janeiro where he was reunited with Milton Nascimento. Gato Barbieri hired Vasconcelos to accompany him on a 1971 tour through Argentina, Europe and the United States. He moved to Paris, France and jammed with Cherry in Sweden several times. Manfred Eicher, ECM producer, first discovered Vasconcelos in 1976 when he performed on Danca Das Cabecas, a recording of Brazilian guitarist and woodflute player Egberto Gismonti. After Walcott’s passing and Codona’s dissolution, Vasconcelos was invited to join Pat Metheny’s band, continued recording and touring with Cherry, as well as Jan Garbarek (Norwegian saxophonist, ECM label-mate), and formed a duo together with Evelyn Glennie, a Scottish classical percussionist. He was also a guest artist on recordings of Talking Heads and B.B. King and Paul Simon. Walcott was a violin player from an early age. He also had an interest in percussive instruments and studied them at Indiana University. Later, he discovered a love for tabla and the sitar. He took lessons from Indian masters Ravi Shankar (and Alla Rakha). From 1967 to 1969, he played with Tony Scott, toured with Tim Hardin and joined the Paul Winter Consort. Walcott met Glenn Moore, Paul McCandless’ oboist, and guitarist Ralph Towner in this group. This group was the most well-known and popular Oregon incarnation. It combines impeccable musicianship with jazz and classical music, as well as Indian and chamber music. Walcott, Cherry and Vasconcelos recorded the Codona albums during his time away from Oregon. In 1984, he was killed in an accident on a bus while traveling through Germany with Oregon. Towner, an Oregon bandmate, said that his colleague was a scholarly and pragmatic thinker. Moore said: “Collin was so uncommonly gifted as trained classical percussionist and a conductor, as well as as a classical guitar player… he had such talent and such refined sense of being an student of all the musics . Codona was founded in 1977 by Manfred Eicher. Cherry was a guest on Walcott’s solo album Grazing Dreams. Walcott had met Vasconcelos during a session for Egberto Gismonti’s Sol do Meio Dia. They are known for their three pioneering albums, which received praises and critical respect from jazz enthusiasts. Codona’s multi-instrumental abilities and diverse musical backgrounds led to a musical stew that seamlessly combines musical influences from as far as American soul and free jazz and Indian, Middle Eastern and European folk music. Codona recorded their debut album in Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg, West Germany. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on Disc says that this is Codona’s debut album. The writer continues to describe the music of the group: “Any tendency towards Codona’s music or Walcott’s compositions as floating impressionism, is sheer prejudice. All these performances are deeply roots in modern jazz (Coltrane’s harmonies, Ornette Cole’s melodic, rhythmic primitivism, and another great and related improvisational traditions from Brazil). It is notable for including parts of Stevie Wonder’s musical tribute to Duke Ellington in the mix. The Penguin editors stated that the permutations of instrumental sounds were amazing, but they are rooted in a basic jazz trio format of harmony, horn and percussion. Walcott plays his sitar and Vasconcelos plays the ‘bow–and-arrow’ berimbau. Cherry plays the Malian doussn’ gouni. The interplay is often very intense and precise. The Penguin editors admired the two albums that followed, but concluded that none of them was as artistically bold as the first. They did however admire “Walking on Eggs”, a Codona Vol. composition. 3 was deemed “one of [Walcott’s] and [Codona’s] finest performances.” by Bruce Walker from http://www.musicianguide.com
