Mu First Part / Mu Second Part
Originally released in 1969 as separate LP's,Mudocuments the album-length duos of trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell, both members of the Ornette Coleman quartet. This was a radical concept at the time, but the duo's empathy and stark beauty won many converts, leading to a spate of duo concept albums in the future. Cherry's darting, dancing trumpet and Blackwell's melodic polyrhythms are perfect foils, as each man has a gift for creating rifflike patterns that congeal and coalesce. Cherry substitutes flute and piano on several cuts, adding variety and additional colors to their obvious simpatico. The flute cuts, in particular "Amejelo" and "Bamboo Night," presage Cherry's later ventures into various ethnic strains of world music.--Wally Shoup