Lawrence Kumpf Books

Avant-garde jazz trumpeter Don Cherry and textile artist Moki Cherry (née Karlsson) met in Sweden in the late sixties, where they began living and performing together. They created a blend of communal art, activism, children's education, and pan-ethnic expression known as Organic Music. This special anthology, released alongside an exhibition of the same name, is the first English-language publication dedicated to the couple's multimedia collaborations. It showcases models of collectivism and pedagogy through archival documents and newly commissioned writings from musicians, scholars, and artists. The volume opens with an overview by Blank Forms Artistic Director Lawrence Kumpf and Don Cherry biographer Magnus Nygren, exploring Don's work through Ben Young's piece on his Relativity Suite and Fumi Okiji's essay on the diasporic nature of his music. Ruba Katrib highlights Moki's domestic practice with a biographical survey featuring full-color reproductions of her vibrant tapestries, paintings, and sculptures, which served as performance environments for Don's ensembles. The anthology includes Moki's unpublished writings—autobiographical pieces, observations, illustrations, poetry, and aphorisms—framed by tributes from her daughter Neneh Cherry and granddaughter Naima Karlsson. Additionally, Swedish collaborator Christer Bothén shares travelogues from Morocco, Mali, and New York, offering insights into the cross-cultural commun