Don Cherry - Complete Communion [Tone Poet 180g Audiophile LP]

Complete Communion was Don Cherry's debut as a bandleader and his first release on Blue Note Records, recorded on Christmas Eve 1965 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Cherry, playing cornet, brought together tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Ed Blackwell for a session that unfolded as two extended side-long suites. Critics have recognized the album as an important innovation in free jazz, introducing an alternative both to athematic improvising and to monothematic pieces.

Side A's "Complete Communion" suite and Side B's "Elephantasy" each move through several distinct thematic sections, linked with a fluency that makes the transitions feel entirely natural. Barbieri's tenor is raw and combustive throughout, a striking contrast to Cherry's burnished, melodically generous cornet. Grimes and Blackwell take extremely active roles, with Grimes soloing powerfully and sometimes carrying the main riffs, giving the music the quality of a conversation rather than a solo with accompaniment.

This Tone Poet Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket. The stereo mix is open and well-balanced, giving each member of the quartet generous presence across both sides.

• Format: 180g Black Vinyl LP
• Standout Tracks: "Complete Communion," "Elephantasy"
• Pressing Details: Blue Note Tone Poet Audiophile Series, Produced by Joe Harley, Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the Original Analog Master Tapes, Pressed at RTI, Deluxe Gatefold Tip-On Jacket, Stereo
• Genre/Style: Free Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop
• UPC: 602458270082

Complete Communion is one of the most structurally inventive albums in the Blue Note catalog, and the Tone Poet treatment brings a clarity and spaciousness to these two remarkable suites that the original pressing could never fully deliver.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. Complete Communion (20:38)

Side B:

1. Elephantasy (19:36)