Organic Express cont’d

Organic Express: Back to the Electronic Garage
Organic Express marks David Ornette Cherry’s return home from a decade-long musical journey. Back to the Electronic Garage expresses David’s deep reconnection with his musical beginnings, the Watts garage where he began delving into music and finding his voice. The tunes here capture the particular worldly spirit of the Los Angeles David grew up in — the incredible artistic scene in Watts and Leimert Park, through which David found his peers. Following David’s exploration of family heritage in Organic Roots, this recording coincides with the re-release of David’s first outing, Beyond Electronic Garage: African American Grooves for the Common Man (© 1998 Beyond Video Group), where he collaborated with fellow electronic garagers — composers and video artist Jahian L, Mark London Sims and Ralph Jones — to integrate street vibes with African and jazz influences into a music for everyone. That same palpably global, democratic vision shines through here — a joyful inclusiveness marks the sonic range and cultural diversity found in these compositions.

David is the disc’s sole soul, literally and figuratively. Knowing David, this means endless treats for the ear: doussn’ gounni and bass clarinet lines duet over a funk groove; electronic beeps and blips tap dance with North African percussion; haunting melodica melodies and tribal flutes and bells send harmeloldic lines through twisting loops; cosmic-feeling Indian sitar ragas morph into Middle Eastern-wedding-sounding melodies. And all the time, perfect little riffs fit for chillin’ bring smiles to your lips, until you can’t stop grinning. David’s playfulness, wellspring of his inventiveness, is audible throughout. He takes an irresistibly infectious delight in the sounds, beats, and subtle textures he finds in improvising, composing, and mixing. This open, generous vibe welcomes all tribes on board the Organic Express.

– Paul Andre Harris