Sunrise (1977) [2LP]

Don Cherry - Sunrise (1977) [2LP]

Double LP version. Wewantsounds presents the first official release of a legendary 1977 concert capturing Don Cherry, Collin Walcott, and Leon Thomas in their only documented performance together. Recorded live on March 5, 1977, at Pease Auditorium in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the performance featured the three musicians playing an immersive hypnotic set, joined for part of the evening by the rest of Oregon. Long circulating among a few Don Cherry fans, the full concert is now available featuring Moki Cherry artwork and new liner notes by Jason Weiss -- licensed by the Don Cherry Estate and producer James Quinlan. Don Cherry's huge influence has steadily grown over the years, as fans and new generations of listeners continue to uncover the vast breadth of his global musical vision. Sunrise captures Cherry during a particularly fertile late-1970s period, when the American jazz trumpeter blended global and Eastern spiritual concepts into his "Organic Music" philosophy, drawing deeply from Eastern and African traditions. Moving fluidly between trumpet, the West African doussn'gouni (a traditional hunter's harp from Mali), bamboo flutes, percussion, and vocals, Cherry creates a deeply resonant world music soundscape. Recorded live on March 5, 1977, at Pease Auditorium in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the show took place just a month after Don Cherry participated in the recording of Collin Walcott's ECM album Grazing Dreams. With Walcott playing alongside Cherry and vocalist Leon Thomas, bringing his unmistakable yodel-style vocal approach -- and joined for part of the night by the rest of Oregon (Ralph Towner, Paul McCandless and Glen Moore) -- the performance stands as a stunning, hypnotic forerunner to the formation of CODONA. The newly remastered audio is so vivid and intimate that it feels as though you are sitting directly in the room with the musicians. The release also serves as a vibrant homage to Don and Moki Cherry's creative partnership, featuring a reproduction of Moki's striking 1975 Mandala tapestry on the front cover. 01. Sunrise (23:11) 02. Doussn' Gouni Fly Pt. 1 (16:38) 03. Doussn' Gouni Fly Pt. 2 (12:19) 04. Eastern Flute Song (6:14) 05. Holy River (20:05)