Old and New Dreams

Old And New Dreams existed from 1976 to 1987, and was composed of tenor saxophone player Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, trumpet player Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell. All of the members except Redman were former sidemen of the revered free jazz progenitor, tenor saxohonist Ornette Coleman, and the group played almost exclusively Coleman's compositions. It would not not be unfair to describe the group as perhaps the most overlooked group playing in their idiom. They released two superb records on the German jazz label ECM, an eponymous live record in 1979 and another, "Playing," a year later. These two discs, regarded as their finest, were bookended by a pair of discs on the Italian Black Saint label, another eponymous live record, from 1976, as well as 1987's "One For Blackwell." The group disbanded in 1987 after playing a final concert a birthday celebration for Blackwell, who passed on in 1992. Redman and Haden are still active players, but Cherry also has since passed.

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