Don Cherry Live in Paris (Part II)

The second part of this 1971 Don Cherry concert in Paris begins in the same fashion as part one left off, continuing a far-flung sonic pathway that, at times, feels so eerie and effective that its hard to believe the group are improvising. Such is the connection between them: Cherry has a staggering aura when vocalizing, or on whichever instrument he plays, whether piano, pocket trumpet, flute or shell; Jonnhy Dyani is majestic on the double bass and with his spoken word; while Okay Temiz provides the shifting rthymic underlayer which keeps it all balanced. 

Temiz is also afforded more room to explore in this section, which he does so against Dyani's plucking, rubbing and twisting of his double bass strings and Cherry's flights of wonder on various mouthpieces. Towards the end of the set, Cherry tops off his own searching musical journey with that of another, asking the audience to sing Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" along with him. It marks a fantastic, inclusive way to end proceedings, the kind of collective participation that has often been the backbone of avant-garde music.