Second chapter of Don Cherry’s “Mu” recordings for BYG – a landmark of free jazz improvisation.

Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell had both played with Ornette Coleman and contributed to the revolutionary free jazz movement of the late fifties and early sixties. The two of them shared a highly intuitive approach to improvisation that coupled with Cherry’s keen explorations of folk music from other cultures, imbue the “Mu” recordings with undeniable beauty, spiritual depth and originality.

Inspired by his travels and endless quest to broaden his musical horizons, “Mu” Second Part finds Don Cherry playing lyrical passages on Indian and bamboo flutes, as well as piano, bells and his trademark pocket trumpet. He also makes reference to South African musician Abdullah Ibrahim, aka Dollar Brand, and jazz drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath on tracks that writer Ekkehard Jost has described as “unpredictable and endlessly fascinating…”

Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell recorded the two legendary Mu sessions on the same day and more than fifty years later, those albums sound just as fresh and innovative as they did back then.