Don Cherry
Eternal Rhytm
MPS Records (Germany) 1979
0068.225 (LP) Black label.
sleeve : EX(light wear on corner.)
media : EX/EX(some slightly noise.)
A live album documenting a concert given in Berlin, Germany in 1968 by the Eternal Rhythm Group led by Don Cherry, the guiding figure of ethnic jazz. Alongside leading German players Albert Mangelsdorff (tb), Joachim Kühn (p), and Karl Berger (vib, p), the lineup brings together a strong Nordic contingent—Eje Thelin (tb), Arild Andersen (b), and Bengt Rosengren (ts, fl, etc.)—as well as American guitarist Sonny Sharrock, renowned for albums such as Black Woman. The ensemble vividly illustrates Don Cherry’s emerging ethnic jazz network, which would soon lead to his relocation to Sweden. Featuring traditional instruments including gamelan, this recording marks the very early stage at which Cherry’s deep immersion in world and ethnic music began to openly surface. A rare and invaluable live document from that formative period. True to its title, it resonates with an eternal rhythm that has echoed since ancient times and never ceases. Needless to say, this is essential listening. German reissue from 1979.