Charlie Haden

[AndrewHill]

I really like him best with Ornette. And I mean there are levels of Haden's playing that are great with Ornette and then there are times where he is exemplary. I really thought he was a nice fit in Ornette's outfit from the outset; I like every Atlantic side he appears on, but I was really BLOWN away with his contribution on Science Fiction. That is, his sound, his style, and he just hit all the right notes at the right time on that album, and consequently, he made me a bigger, fan,

HG -- I completely agree with you about Haden's playing on Science Fiction -- it's incredible. He recorded Expectations* with Keith Jarrett around the same time and his playing there is just as great.

Guy

ps I mention this album specifically because it's also on Columbia, and Charlie has a very similar sound on it.

I missed on Expetations because I saw it at Half Price, and came back to get it and it was gone.

I really like Haden's contributions on Jarret's records on Impulse!

Edited June 9, 2007 by Holy Ghost

[Guy Berger]

I missed on Expetations because I saw it at Half Price, and came back to get it and it was gone.

I really like Haden's contributions on Jarret's records on Impulse!

Me too, but I think he is better recorded on Expectations.

Guy

[Aggie87]

Bump...

If anyone's thinking about picking up the recent "Best of Quartet West" release, Newbury Comics is offering an autographed version for the normal retail price.

[Guest Bill Barton]

I too wonder whether the originator of this thread was ever "converted."

In any case, thought I'd drop in my "two cents worth."

Some of the most memorable concert performances I've ever attended were those involving Haden. He has been one of my favorite musicians for well over 30 years now.

Highlights:

1. The world premiere of Don Cherry's Relativity Suite at Dartmouth College shortly after Cherry was Composer in Residence for a full term in 1970. I think that this was in 1971 or 1972.

2. Jarrett's "American Quartet" at the In Concert club in Montreal around this same time, maybe a year or two later ('73? '74?).

3. A performance of Dream Keeper Suite with the Liberation Music Orchestra and a childrens' choir at the Flynn Theatre for the Performing Arts in Burlington, VT.

4. The Liberation Music Orchestra performance in Montreal as part of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal that was recorded and released in The Montreal Tapes series.

5. A Quartet West show in Burlington some years later.

I did a short interview with him in Burlington for WCFE-FM at the time of the Dream Keeper Suite performance. He is a very sweet, kind, thoughtful man and one of the most "easy to interview" musicians I've ever met. He and his wife, Ruth Cameron, were very gracious and friendly, and meeting them was a pleasure. The previous mention in this thread of him being "difficult" or words to that effect strikes me as total nonsense from my brief experience.

The deep soulfulness of his sound is what attracts me to his bass playing. His place in the history of the music would be assured even if he had stopped playing after recording that marvelous solo on Ornette's "Ramblin.'" Blues, hillbilly music, opera... You can hear all of those things in his playing.

Many of the recordings already mentioned are well worth exploring. Some of my personal favorites are:

1. Closeness - the duets with Jarrett, Ornette, Alice Coltrane and Paul Motian

2. All of the Old and New Dreams recordings - his composition "Chairman Mao" on the eponymously titled Black Saint album is a gem and I love his rock-solid playing on "Togo" from A Tribute to Blackwell.

3. Night and the City with Kenny Barron

4. All of the Liberation Music Orchestra recordings, particularly Dream Keeper. His artistic empathy with Carla Bley is uncanny: one of the *great* pairings in jazz history IMHO.

5. his work with the trio of Geri Allen and Paul Motian

6. As Long As There's Music - the duo with Hampton Hawes

7. "De Drums" on Jarrett's Fort Yawuh is another prime example of his unshakeable time sense and rich sound.

8. Jane Ira Bloom's Mighty Lights with the mighty Ed Blackwell and Fred Hersch

9. Then you add in all of those remarkable recordings with Ornette Coleman's quartet...

Oh, and I like his politics too, although I wonder if they might have something to do with some folks' lack of appreciation for his art (whole other thread there!)

Edited December 11, 2007 by Bill Barton

[alocispepraluger102]

I think Charlie's great, his bass playing when without a pianist, is great.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

His playing with a pianist is great also - check out his duets with Hampton Hawes - As Long as There's Music - mentioned earlier in this thread. His duet album with Denny Zeitlin - Time Remembers One Time Once - is a good one too.

beautiful.

check out his duo recordings with chris anderson and marilyn crispell.

his duets vinyl is magnificent.

the selection with alice coltrane on harp, for turiyana, i have played at least a thousand times.

i love his recording where he has added beautiful beautiful ballads by jo stafford, billie, and jeri southern.

some of his most beautiful work is on one side only of jarret's arbour zena recording from the 70's.

i am unsure on which album he sings beautifully 'poor wayfaring stranger.'

[paul secor]

Heard/saw Charlie Haden play with Jane Ira Bloom twice. Also heard him with the Liberation Music Orchestra once.

The Bloom dates (also w. Ed Blackwell) were best.

Also witnessed him chewing out a small record store owner for not having copies of his Horizon LPs in stock. This was 4-5 years after they were issued. After Haden left, the owner just shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hey, it's a small store. I can't keep everything in stock forever."

[AllenLowe]

I probably already posted this, but I first heard Hayden with Ornette at Slugs in NCY, probably 1969, with D. Redman and Billy Higgins - incredible command, and he was nice enough to talk to us kiddies between sets about how he approached playing with Ornette, which was very illuminating - I do know, however, that he can be very nice AND very difficult -

Edited December 11, 2007 by AllenLowe

[king ubu]

CD Japan announces a new Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden release, "Long Ago and Far Away" -- anyone knows more about this?

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UCCM-1249?s_ssid=e425bd5b71876d2eea

The only thing I can read there is live and 2007-11 which may be the recording date?

[paul secor]

I wonder if there's any chance that they could release a version with Mehldau's music erased leaving only Haden. I might be interested.