Don Cherry

Having played a central role in the free jazz revolution as a member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet 15 years previously, Don Cherry posited a whole new evolution in 1975. Gathering OCQ compatriots Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, Cherry produced one of the very first and most enduring world music fusion albums. Incorporating mantras and drone, far eastern harmonies and tones, deep African grooves, judicious use of early electronics, and wah wah pedal (on the bass!), this masterpiece of invention is intoxicating, accessible and otherworldly. Presaging the cross-cultural collage that is in full bloom today, Brown Rice remains a seamlessly organic and incomparable work.