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A profound saxophonist and composer whose work touches on free jazz and improvisation.

Don Cherry is a unique figure in the history of American music. Known primarily as a trumpeter, cornetist, and pocket trumpet player, Cherry was also an accomplished composer, one of the first to seriously merge American jazz with music from other parts of the world. He also eventually became a player of many small instruments from around the world, most notably the Malian stringed instrument, the doussn'gouni. As a trumpeter, Cherry played with a poignant, understated melodicism and an intensely creative sense of line that made him a one-of-a-kind player in the history of jazz.

I first heard bassist Mark Dresser perform live at the much storied New Music Monday series at the Alligator Lounge in Los Angeles around 1995.