Fireworks and Restraint in Cherry's Big Room
Feverish but well-channeled, this larger-group session may be Cherry's most gratifying Blue Note outing.
When Symphony for Improvisers appeared on Blue Note in August 1967, it arrived as a follow-up to Complete Communion, the record that had already marked Don Cherry as one of the more adventurous trumpeters working in the free-leaning end of the scene. Critics were paying attention. AllMusic's Steve Huey gave it 4.5 out of 5, writing that the album is "full of passionate fireworks" yet also surprisingly subtle, and calling it "probably Cherry's most gratifying" session for the label. This was not a cult object that needed rescuing later; it was reviewed and taken seriously from the start, and the reputation has only firmed up since.
The music earns that attention. Cherry is joined by Gato Barbieri on tenor saxophone and Ed Blackwell on drums, with the larger ensemble giving the pieces more room to breathe and more textures to play with. What stands out is how much the group sounds like a group rather than a set of soloists taking turns. The fire is real, but it is channeled. Other voices often support and answer a solo statement instead of simply waiting their turn, and that restraint is what keeps the big ensemble from collapsing into noise.
As a place to start with Cherry, this is a strong choice, though it helps to know what you are getting into. It is not his most approachable record, and it sits more toward the expansive, collective side of his output than the tighter sessions. Ekkehard Jost considered it, along with Complete Communion, among the most important LPs Cherry made and among the more significant free jazz records of the decade. For listeners who want the full picture of where Cherry was heading in the late sixties, this is one of the essential stops.
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