Karl Berger, Woodstock Workshop Orchestra

Donaueschingen, October 1979. Karl Berger brought the orchestra of his Creative Music Studio from Woodstock to the German contemporary music festival, and Südwestfunk and MPS recorded it. The roster reads like the CMS guest book: Don Cherry on trumpet and bamboo flute, Lee Konitz on alto, Oliver Lake on alto, soprano and flute, George Lewis on trombone, Leroy Jenkins on violin, Trilok Gurtu on tabla and congas, Peter Apfelbaum on drums and baritone, Ingrid Sertso singing, Berger on vibes and piano, with bassoon, cello, oboe, French horn, clarinet and a second trombone from the CMS students.

Five pieces, released by MPS in 1980. Open Time runs fifteen minutes, New Moon twelve, and the closer is Zeynebim - A Turkish Folk Dance, which says where the CMS idea came from: improvising musicians drawing from any tradition, Cherry's and Berger's world-music jazz played by a chamber orchestra. Its advisory board, as the MPS reissue notes point out, included Ornette Coleman, John Cage and Gil Evans.

Engineered by Norbert Kloevekorn. The CMS closed in 1984 and this is the fullest document of what its orchestra sounded like on a European stage.

Japanese CD edition from Solid's MPS series.