Taking Sides: Lester Bowie vs. Don Cherry

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It occurred to me in the car this morning, listening to Bowie's brass band on a comp, that they occupy very similar spaces in my head (shocker, I know).

I love the Art Ensemble and the Coleman quartet, but don't really have any of their solo records, even though I like everything I've heard.

They both seem to hold their conception in higher regard than their chops (which I have absolutely no problem with).

They both did their world travelling, LB with Fela, and DC with everyone else it seems. They both have a sense of humor for sure (overt vs. covert?).

So who made the better records?

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Choosing 'tween Cherry and Bowie "solo" - Don Cherry, i'd say.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

uh, it's pretty obvious (Don Cherry - s/d)

i only own one solo bowie record, and although it's pretty great, it's no comparison

― JasonD (JasonD), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, perhaps solo career isn't the best way to go. C'mon though, there isn't that vast of a divide in talent between the two though. As much as I like Don Cherry, Lester probably had greater range...the Art Ensemble went way farther out than Ornette's group, and he sounds great playing traditional jazz (his brass band and some AEoC tunes) and funk as well (Fela).

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

< /HNIC joke>
move along, nothing to see here folks.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Don Cherry's Eternal Rhythm (the only solo thing of his I own) is pretty great, but I gotta go with Lester, just because Don would never have erupted into a sputtering Tourette's outburst in mid-solo, like Bowie does on Bap-Tizum.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

why take a side? I love 'em both.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

get one "Fast Last"/"Rope a Dope" twofer (sold under the title "American Gumbo")

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 6 June 2005 05:23 (twenty years ago)

Y'know, I wish I had 'Fast Last.' I couldn't make myself spring for 'American Gumbo' -- it came out right after I'd spent 15 o' 20 bucks for a Japanese 'Rope a Dope' replica CD at a Tower sale.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 6 June 2005 06:13 (twenty years ago)

I don't recall that free jazz was supposed to be about competition or whether musician A was better than musician B.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 6 June 2005 06:15 (twenty years ago)

I vote for Lester Bowie, for at least he was on David Bowie Black Noise White Shirt album so proved he can actually play his instrument, unlike Don Cheery who was retarded five year old making gibbon noises through plastic bugle, no?

― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Monday, 6 June 2005 06:39 (twenty years ago)

Yes, thank God he learned to play before he made the David Bowie record.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 6 June 2005 08:39 (twenty years ago)

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=%22don+cherry%22/v=2/SID=e/l=IVS/SIG=1326fd2lr/EXP=1118140380/*-http%3A//www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/search/graphics/cherry.jpg

...not only for his '60s Blue Note trilogy, but also for his collaborations with Albert Ayler and (of course) Ornette Coleman.
GREAT melodist, despite what (the figmentary?) Comstock "thinks". In fact, most of the time I'll even take Cherry over Miles Davis, let alone Lester Bowie. (To be fair, I admit that I've never owned more than three Art Ensemble recs, and therefore haven't heard as much Bowie.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 6 June 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

Don Cheery could not play a melody to save his life, so he was obviously at home with untrained savages like Ornette Colman and Albert Ayla because he could make any gurgling noises he wanted and no one would notice. Miles Davis is one of the greatest melodists in jazz history, listen to Kind Of Blues, I'm Going To Spain and his covers of Cyndi Lauper and Nick Kershaw songs before you come up with such stupe opinions in futures.

― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Monday, 6 June 2005 10:23 (twenty years ago)

Rickey - I am presently ripping "Fast Last" to 192 mp3. My soulseek ID is "fazoo."

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 6 June 2005 12:45 (twenty years ago)

And OF COURSE free jazz is a competition. All artistic pursuits are. Yer either with us, or agin us.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 6 June 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

I seem to recall that the entire point of free jazz was that every musician was equal. Creating spontaneous music by means of a committed collectivist ideal, as opposed to the saxophonist coming out front every five minutes to show his balls, so to speak.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 6 June 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Uh, that's a joke, son.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 6 June 2005 12:56 (twenty years ago)

5 F Troop Rides Again

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 6 June 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

Keep up the witty postings, C.C. - it's comforting to know that you're in front of a computer and not out in the streets somewhere.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 6 June 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

Thanks, Austin.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 6 June 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

enjoy!

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Monday, 6 June 2005 17:03 (twenty years ago)

Wow, I don't remember starting this thread at all.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 6 June 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

Marcello, do you enjoy listening to all free jazz musicians equally?

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 6 June 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

I could listen to "Lonely Woman" all day long. What a freakin great song!

― mcd (mcd), Monday, 6 June 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

I like them both a lot but will say Don Cherry -- Mu hurdles him over the top for me, but this Fast Last record may swing me by the end. Wow.

― mcd (mcd), Monday, 6 June 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

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