15 June 2018

Don Cherry Universal Silence - Berlin November 3, 1972

This has been requested by Ernst few days ago, this is for him and also for Mew23 who regularly bring back some treasures from the basement. 
Obviously this fabulous band lasted one month only and plays not more than 4 to 6 concerts. One have been officially released:
Two others bootleg seems to exist, one from the 3rd of November that is presented here, the second from the following day.
-Don Cherry : Trumpet, Percussions, Flute, Vocals
-Dollar Brand : Piano and Vocals
-Carlos Ward Alto Sax and Vocals
The Universal Silence Suite in six parts.

Recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin on November 3, 1972
at

37 comments:

  1. correct silence15 June 2018 at 17:25:00 CEST

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. jeff16 June 2018 at 05:16:00 CEST

    correct silence,
    The posting of this is much appreciated. Have never heard this performance. Thanks

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  3. BT16 June 2018 at 10:04:00 CEST

    Many thanks

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  4. francisco santos16 June 2018 at 11:30:00 CEST

    BIG THX!...

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  5. Colin Green16 June 2018 at 12:39:00 CEST

    I thought someone was saying this performance was of a piece called "Unchained Africa", with an encore of "Tantra". I've no idea myself, and haven't made any comparisons, but when I downloaded this recording a few days ago, I did alter the metadata to reflect that information. Some clarification would be appreciated.

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  6. correct silence16 June 2018 at 17:19:00 CEST

    @Colin
    The concert on November 3 and the one on the next day at Berliner Jazztage were awarded to Don Cherry Universal Silence and each time the suites played were named "Universal Silence". But when you know Cherry’s discography you know that the titles of the suites don’t always refer directly to the pieces played. For example the sequence played on Eternal Rhythm contains parts that can be heard in "Complete Communion" without reference to this recording in the titles. Similarly in "Humus The Life Exploring Force" suite on the album "Penderecki" we also find excerpts from earlier compositions without their being named as such. it is the case for this suite in six movements that has titles in common with the official album "Third World Underground", all mixing compositions of Don Cherry and Dollar Brand that we will find elsewhere differently titled. It would be too long to explain how Don Cherry envisaged these long uninterrupted suites, but if you want to know more about Cherry’s approach to collective improvisation, listen to the "Complete Communion" studio album and the three volumes published by ESP (Café Montmartre), you will hear that the compositions are like small blocks that are interchangeable and are randomly summoned to introduce a new direction in improvisation. This is pretty clear in "Abf suite" on the album "Live In Stockholm". I don’t know if it answers your question about the importance of the titles, in any case I have no doubt that this suite is called "Universal Silence"

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  7. Colin Green16 June 2018 at 17:28:00 CEST

    Thanks for that. I'm familiar with the albums you mention, but not the working habits of this particular trio. I raised the point as someone was adamant that the names were different, but what's in a name? I'll just call the whole lot "Universal Silence" and focus on the music.

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  8. jeff16 June 2018 at 20:59:00 CEST

    Thanks for the good info correct silence. Do you play and/or compose?

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  9. san16 June 2018 at 23:55:00 CEST

    ALSO:
    https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/chronicle/jazzfest/gruppe/universal-silence-don-cherry-dollar-brand-quaret-1972

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  10. correct silence17 June 2018 at 09:34:00 CEST

    @San
    Thank you for the link, it confirm the title but it brings also new informations: a quartet that obviously only plays once? it seems that this concert have been recorded and broadcasted so if someone have it, a post on the front page or on the contribution section would be more than welcome.
    @Jeff
    Since more than a decade I learn the north Indian instrumental tradition of the Dhrupad played on the Rudra Veena.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=rudra+vina+images&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ1ZqpktrbAhUBVRQKHRDsDscQsAQIKg&biw=1023&bih=661
    My first exposure to the sound of Indian instruments was when I listened to « Orient » by Don Cherry. Then I made my initiation to the Indian classical music and when I discovered the Rudra Vina first by a recording of Ustad Asad Ali Khan and then by another recording by Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar i wanted to learn this instrument. It is interesting to know that Don Cherry have meet several times Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and his brother the singer Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar. Here is the story: when he was in Sweden Don Cherry often played with percussionist Bengt Berger. Since 1969, Berger went to India to learn tablas with Pandit Taranath Rao. One day Taranath Rao brought Berger in a house of Mumbai to listen to Pandit Chandrashekar Naringrekar, a surbahar (bass sitar) player. Chandrashekar asked Berger if he wanted to discover the rudra vina, the most respected instrument in north India. So Berger was introduced to Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. Returning to Sweden he mentioned this musician and his instrument to Don Cherry. Obviously Cherry visited the Dagar family of Mumbai several times.

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  11. Wallofsound17 June 2018 at 21:51:00 CEST

    Many thanks.

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  12. jeff19 June 2018 at 12:17:00 CEST

    @correct silence
    Interesting. Thanks for sharing brother.
    Have the Orient/Blue Lake (Get Back) LP reissue. Great album with two great trios.

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  13. daniel21 June 2018 at 18:34:00 CEST

    wow!!
    thank you very very much for this one.
    great session, great meeting.
    it's beautiful how it works so well the melodies by Dollar Brand and Don Cherry.

    what a concert!

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  14. indigonoir24 June 2018 at 12:09:00 CEST

    Great share. Thank you very much.

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  15. manatee14921 July 2018 at 17:30:00 CEST

    Link does not work for me. Could it be expired in a little over a month?

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  16. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth21 July 2018 at 23:40:00 CEST

    Hi manatee149,

    the link is still active. Tried it one minute ago and the link was still available. You could try it with another browser.

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  17. Guitarradeplastico,scraping oddities11 October 2018 at 13:04:00 CEST

    OLE

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  18. Brewing Luminous2 November 2018 at 15:24:00 CET

    Thank you

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  19. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth10 November 2018 at 23:59:00 CET

    The info at https://www.berlinerfestspiele.de/en/chronicle/jazzfest/gruppe/universal-silence-don-cherry-dollar-brand-quaret-1972 is wrong.
    There was only one concert at this years edition with Cherry, Brand and Ward. Only as a trio they played on November 3rd. The concert was almost 80 minutes long. They had no second concert the day before or after during the Jazz Festival Berlin 1972.

    Maybe the wrong info at the festival's website is due to a scheduled quartet with Brand and Cherry. It is not the first time I encounter mistakes there (although the website seems to be quite reliable for the most part). And apart from that the concert was broadcasted (sometimes partially only) at least three or four times.

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  20. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth11 November 2018 at 00:05:00 CET

    There's a slim chance this concert will be issued on a double LP. Cross fingers.

    However - great and uplifting music it is!

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  21. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth14 November 2018 at 16:49:00 CET

    Removed the link - proper release is upcoming.

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  22. reuab5 April 2019 at 22:29:00 CEST

    you mean that release on Lepo Glasbo? As far as I can see this is not an officially sanctioned release! Like with many other Cherry releases in recent times, these
    people just blunder the internet.

    Reuab

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  23. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth5 April 2019 at 23:05:00 CEST

    The release on Lepo Glasbo is from the master tapes.

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  24. reuab6 April 2019 at 11:39:00 CEST

    but is that the main criterion for removing or re-uploading files on this blog?

    Reuab

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  25. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth6 April 2019 at 12:16:00 CEST

    The main criterion is wether it is in print/available or obviously/seemingly upcoming. However the format, price or (easy) availability. Not wether it's from the master or from a shabby LP.

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  26. JazzHound30 May 2020 at 02:13:00 CEST

    I understand fully your reasoning for what should/should not be posted here. that being said, I think this is the best recording I have come across by this group... a brilliant performance. The Lepo Glasbo issue was a limited edition (300 copies), is listed as sold out by the label.

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  27. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth30 May 2020 at 09:39:00 CEST

    Where did you find a website of the label?
    However - I know there will be a CD edition soon by the same label. I know 'cause I talked with the producer. And it is already listed on Discogs as well.
    https://www.discogs.com/Don-Cherry-Carlos-Ward-Dollar-Brand-Universal-Silence/release/15185254

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  28. Spleencringe 18 March 2022 at 13:18:00 CET

    Now the Lepo Glasbo limited release has sold out & changing hands on Discogs for crazy prices, any possibility of a re-up? Many thanks!

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  29. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth18 March 2022 at 15:27:00 CET

    1fichier

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  30. indigonoir18 March 2022 at 16:46:00 CET

    Aha! A weekend treat!! Thanks Ernst.

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  31. Guitarradeplastico,scraping oddities24 March 2022 at 12:53:00 CET

    Many thanks

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  32. strumper26 April 2022 at 09:32:00 CEST

    Any possibility of a re-re-up?

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  33. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth26 April 2022 at 10:03:00 CEST

    Re-up already done on 18 March 2022 - see the link three comments above your comment.

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  34. subharmonia.blogspot.com25 May 2022 at 18:18:00 CEST

    And then there was universal silence ...
    Message: The requested file has been deleted by its owner.
    Reup possible?

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  35. roberth30 May 2022 at 11:18:00 CEST

    ernst the link is dead somehow
    can we get a re up
    thanks
    roberth

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  36. Ernst Grgo Nebhuth30 May 2022 at 17:01:00 CEST

    Here's a new link. It is the version which was posted here before. The later version which was issued on LP and CD I do not have at the moment. I've lend it a friend.
    But all in all the music is the same although the tracking is quite different. And I have amended the info file a bit. Removed the "sampling" from the credits for all three musicians. There was no sampling in 1972 - at least not on any portable device. The first commercially available sampler was from 1979. This Fairlight sythesizer would have been available not under 25.000$ for the "cheapest" version.
    1fichier

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  37. roberth31 May 2022 at 22:27:00 CEST

    thanks ernst
    yeah the fairlight in 79
    i bought a casio fz1 in 87 price difference fairlight 20,000
    casio 1000
    the only time cherry used sampling might of been when peter affelbaum was his keyboard player.

    thanks for re posting
    roberth

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