{"id":1667,"date":"2014-07-11T23:14:02","date_gmt":"2014-07-12T03:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=1667"},"modified":"2014-07-12T09:17:49","modified_gmt":"2014-07-12T13:17:49","slug":"charlie-haden-anchoring-free-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2014\/07\/charlie-haden-anchoring-free-play.html","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Haden, anchoring free play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlie Haden<\/strong>, who died July 11 at age 76<\/a>, was the man who anchored the free flights of many musicians to the foundations of music: rhythm and harmony. This photo by Enid Farber shows how I felt about being\u00c2\u00a0around him, Dewey Redman<\/strong> and Edward Blackwell<\/strong> (not pictured; the saxophonist is Branford Marsalis, but the occasion was a Blackwell tribute concert).<\/p>\n

\"Dewey<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Haden was a man who made connections. Ornette Coleman<\/strong>, who Charlie called his guru, was able to extend blues and jazz beyond limits of convention to flights of melodic imagination with Haden solidly holding the bottom line (best in duo,<\/a> or with Don Cherry<\/strong> adding to the tunefulness<\/a>, or Blackwell or Billy Higgins<\/strong> drumming, though Haden did important work introducing Ornette’s son Denardo Coleman<\/strong><\/a>, too). Pianist\u00c2\u00a0Keith Jarrett<\/strong> was able to rhapsodize generously and gorgeously<\/a> with Haden at his side. Guitarist\u00c2\u00a0Pat Metheny<\/a><\/strong>, like Haden from Missouri,<\/a> found a deep\u00c2\u00a0Americana groove in the bassist’s company, as did pianist Hank Jones<\/strong>, recording\u00c2\u00a0spirituals and gospel hymns <\/a>with Haden.<\/p>\n

With Carla Bley<\/strong> writing arrangements for the\u00c2\u00a0Liberation Music Orchestra,<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0Haden became the overtly political conscience of the avant garde, tying a critique of America to a love of our country and insistence it can do better from the first LMO album (1969) to the last of its four<\/a> (in 2005). While on tour with Ornette in the early ’70s, he was arrested in Portugal for dedicating a performance of “Song for Che”<\/a> to the freedom fighters in Angola, Mozambique and Guinnea-Bisseau — released, he was questioned by the FBI. He told me he wasn’t flustered\u00c2\u00a0— he’d been through much more excoriating interrogations from his peers, while rehabilitating from narcotics addiction at Synanon House<\/strong> in 1960.<\/p>\n

Charlie was drawn to the dark music of Central and South America, working beautifully with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba (plus drummer Jack DeJohnette on The Blessing<\/a>; <\/em>plus\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>saxist\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>Joe Lovano, violinist\u00c2\u00a0Federico Britos Ruiz, Metheny et al on Nocturne<\/em><\/a><\/span>) and multi-instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti with brooding Norwegian saxophonist Jan Gabarek<\/a>, among many others. His Quartet West<\/a> re-invigorated the reputations of saxophonist Ernie Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent and drummer Larance Marable. In league with bassist Paul Motian, Charlie inspired Geri Allen.<\/a> There’s no counting how many people he gave a lift to (Archie Shepp, Alice Coltrane, Paul Bley, Lee Konitz<\/strong> . . . ) either as “Cowboy Charlie,”<\/a> the childhood singer on his parent’s old-time radio show, or as an insistent, earnest and sometimes, yes, corny major player, onstage or off.<\/p>\n

[contextly_auto_sidebar id=”vqwlMICaHDrgxIJSf7q2r8m6Leld4ccL”]<\/p>\n

Comic actor Jack Black, master\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>satirist of mania,<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0married one of inherently and unselfsconsiously intense Charlie’s triplet daughters, and though it’s none of my business I always chuckle\u00c2\u00a0to think of those two at family gatherings. But Charlie was above all serious about what he did, the people he hung out with, the music he performed. Meeting people of such talent and dedication makes up for all the bs that goes into trying to make a living as an arts journalist. I got off a few good comments about Charlie in “Rambling Boy<\/a>,” a\u00c2\u00a0very fine biographical film by Reto Caduff<\/strong>, and Charlie called me to thank then congratulate me. He hadn’t needed to do that; I had just told the truth. Charlie Haden played the bass, holding everyone\u00c2\u00a0together from the bottom up, faithfully, with feeling and meaning.<\/p>\n

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Charlie Haden, who died July 11 at age 76, was the man who anchored the free flights of many musicians to the foundations of music: rhythm and harmony. This photo by Enid Farber shows how I felt about being\u00c2\u00a0around him, Dewey Redman and Edward Blackwell (not pictured; the saxophonist is Branford Marsalis, but the occasion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-main","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/RedmanDeweyMarsalisHadenMandel.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-qT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1877,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2015\/06\/ten-albums-introducing-ornette-colemans-musical-evolution.html","url_meta":{"origin":1667,"position":0},"title":"Ten albums introducing Ornette Coleman’s musical evolution","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"June 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"An outpouring of media tributes has followed my hero\u00c2\u00a0Ornette Coleman's death at age 85 on June 11. But many\u00c2\u00a0commentators writing\u00c2\u00a0of his music -- including good ones like Marc Myers in Jazz Wax and Ben Ratliff of the New York Times -- have\u00c2\u00a0focused mostly\u00c2\u00a0on Coleman's breakthrough recordings from 1958 and '59,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"giants","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/giants.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":748,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2012\/01\/nea-jazz-masters-concert-webcast-program-to-continue.html","url_meta":{"origin":1667,"position":1},"title":"NEA Jazz Masters concert webcast, program to continue","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"January 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Endowment of the Arts, formally inducting its 30th class of \u00c2\u00a0\"Jazz Masters\" with a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center January 10 2012 that is being webcast live\u00c2\u00a0on\u00c2\u00a0WBGO Jazz 88.3FM\u00c2\u00a0 and\u00c2\u00a0SiriusXM Satellite Radio's Real Jazz Channel XM67, (starting at 7:30 pm ET) has announced that Jazz Masters will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/neajazzmasters-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":373,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/01\/how_does_keith_jarrett_get_to.html","url_meta":{"origin":1667,"position":2},"title":"How does Keith Jarrett come to Carnegie Hall? Alone.","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"January 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"In my latest column in City Arts - New York, I share a few thoughts about the solo piano improvisations of Keith Jarrett. The headline's not mine, I don't get it -- but the music he performs at Carnegie Hall Jan. 16 may be transcendent, as far beyond jazz as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":75,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2008\/03\/ornette_at_town_hall_and_in_ja.html","url_meta":{"origin":1667,"position":3},"title":"Ornette at Town Hall and in Japan","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"March 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Further Ornette sightings: the prophet of life-beyond-conventions returns on Friday to New York's Town Hall, where he's suffered and triumphed throughout his career. Internationally acclaimed as an enquiring multi-instrumentalist, composer and conceptualist, Ornette has a special place in his heart for Town Hall, the historic midtown Manhattan venue where he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2007\/07\/the_makers_of_jazz_beyond_jazz.html","url_meta":{"origin":1667,"position":4},"title":"The Makers of Jazz Beyond Jazz","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"July 1, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the course of three decades, I've been privileged to get behind the scenes and meet heroic creators of jazz as well as up-and-comers, innovators and exemplars of many other genres. Please enjoy these archival interviews and articles. 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Alpert, named in 2009 to the JJA's \"A Team\" of activists, advocates,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"bloomberg--300x300.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/bloomberg--300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}