JazzStage: Trumpeter Don Cherry

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Don Cherry was one of the most individual and idiosyncratic voices in contemporary jazz and world music, and also one of the most significant figures of his era. In an age of technically fearsome trumpet players, Cherry preferred to emphasise expression and musical communication over speed and technical prowess, and evolved an utterly distinctive sound and style in the process.

He began playing trumpet in high school in Los Angeles, where he was brought up, but made his earliest public appearances as a pianist in rhythm and blues bands. He adopted a small B-flat pocket trumpet made in Pakistan as his preferred instrument, and it became his trademark, although he went on to play a wide range of ethnic instruments, notably the doussn'gouni, a hunter's guitar from Mali, which he used extensively in performance. Read complete bio from jazzhouse.org.