DON CHERRY (1973) dir. Jean-Noël Delamare, Nathalie Perrey, Philippe Gras

16 minutes of hallucinogenic Afrocentric cinematic greatness, directed by Jean-Noël Delamare and starring Don Cherry as an extraterrestrial. As Anthony Braxton (!) reads a poem by Andre Breton, we see Cherry in various locations in Paris. “The dragon is part fox and part cat-snake,” reads Braxton, “he is swift, quick, patient and strong. He can be visible plus invisible.” Cherry’s beautiful music (with contributions from his frequent collaborator the German improviser Karl Berger) is heavy on flute, piano and African percussion, and opens with gloriously sci-fi, skronking electronics. This is an essential document of a period when the avant edge of American improvised and electronic music invaded Europe with a joyful noise. Music, wisdom, love, peace.