Two ‘lost’ Don Cherry albums get first vinyl release

Alongside a new book dedicated to Don and Moki Cherry’s artistic work, and an exhibition.

Two ‘lost’ Don Cherry albums – The Summer House Sessions, and Organic Music Theatre: Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon 1972 – are being released via Blank Forms this June.

Read more: An introduction to Don Cherry in 10 records

The Summer House Sessions was recorded in Sweden during the summer of 1968, after sound engineer Göran Freese invited Don, members of his two working bands, and a drummer to Kummelnäs for a series of rehearsals and jam sessions.

(The album was presumed lost, until recordings from the sessions were recently re-discovered in the vaults of the Swedish Jazz Archive.)

In 1972, the Cherrys unveiled their Organic Music Theatre project, which encompassed Don’s music, Moki’s art, as well as elements from their family life.

They made their Organic Music Theatre project debut at The Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon, which took place that same year in the south of France.

Performing with Don Cherry’s New Researches — a group including Don and Moki, Christer Bothén, Gérard “Doudou” Gouirand, and Naná Vasconcelo, the band were joined onstage by audience members, and a puppet troupe, while Moki’s carpets and handmade tapestries adorned the set-up.

Alongside the two albums, Blank Forms is also publishing a 496-page book focusing on the Cherrys’ life and artistic practices. It features archival documents, previously unpublished interviews with Don, and Moki’s own archival writings.

The book also includes tributes from her daughter Neneh Cherry, granddaughter Naima Karlssos, photos, and new texts by musicians, scholars, and artists.

An exhibition of the same name focusing on Don and Moki’s multimedia collaborations will be held at Blank Forms’ NYC space in Spring 2021.

Pre-order The Summer House Sessions and Organic Music Theatre: Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon 1972 here in advance of their 18th June release, and pre-order Organic Music Societies here in advance of its 27th April publication.

The Summer House Sessions

1. Summer House Sessions Side A
2. Summer House Sessions Side B
3. Untitled Summer House Session 1
4. Untitled Summer House Session 2
5. Untitled Summer House Session 3
6. Untitled Summer House Session 4

Organic Music Theatre: Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon 1972

1. Intro: Dha Dhin Na, Dha Tin Na
2. Butterfly Friend
3. Elixir
4. Amazwe
5. Interlude with Puppets
6. Ganesh
7. Elixir Reprise / Witchi Tai To
8. Resa
9. Relativity Suite, Part 1
10. Berimbau Solo
11. Interlude / North Brazilian Ceremonial Hymn
12. Elixir Reprise / Ganesh
13. Ntsikana’s Bell / Traditional Melody