Charlie Haden Quartet West - The Art Of The Song (1999)

Charlie Haden Quartet West - The Art Of The Song (1999)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 405MB

Verve

Allaboutjazz:
In the early-’60s bassist Charlie Haden worked with avant-garde jazz pioneers Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. In 1969 he founded The Liberation Music Orchestra, an aggregation committed to performing complex, politically charged music. When Haden formed Quartet West in 1986, listeners quickly noted that this group represented a 180 degree shift in his focus. Where the Liberation Orchestra was abrasive and confrontational, Quartet West wallowed in the nostalgic, accessible mainstream. The Art Of The Song is an evocative collection of sombre ballads, immaculately performed by Haden, Alan Broadbent (piano), Ernie Watts (tenor), Larance Marable (drums), Shirley Horn (vocals), Bill Henderson (vocals); plus a string orchestra conducted by Murray Adler. Shirley Horn’s subtle, sparse renditions of Lonely Town, In Love In Vain and The Folks Who Live On The Hill stand out on a disc loaded with high points. Instrumentally, Ernie Watts (why doesn’t he sound this good on his own records?) provides a number of sensuous solos. Hypnotically beautiful.

Tracks
-01. "Lonely Town" (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green) – 5:30
-02. "Why Did I Choose You" (Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin) – 7:23
-03. "Moment Musical Opus 16 No3 in B Minor" (Sergei Rachmaninoff) – 5:36
-04. "In Love in Vain" (Jerome Kern, Leo Rubin) – 5:05
-05. "Ruth's Waltz" (Charlie Haden, Arthur Hamilton) – 4:14
-06. "Scenes from a Silver Screen" (Alan Broadbent) – 6:24
-07. "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life" (Cy Coleman, Joseph A. McCarthy) – 6:15
-08. "You My Love" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Mack Gordon) – 4:24
-09. "Prelude en La Mineur" (Maurice Ravel) – 5:14
-10. "The Folks Who Live On the Hill" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 6:56
-11. "Easy on the Heart" (Haden, Hamilton) – 4:54
-12. "Theme for Charlie" (Jeri Southern) – 4:07
-13. "Wayfaring Stranger" (Traditional) – 4:23

Personnel
Charlie Haden Quartet West
* Charlie Haden – bass, local vocal on "Wayfaring Stranger"
* Alan Broadbent – piano, arranger, conductor, orchestration
* Larance Marable – drums
* Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone
Guest musicians
* Murray Adler – violin, conductor, concert master, orchestra contractor
* Bill Henderson – vocals on "Why Did I Choose You", "Ruth's Waltz", "You My Love", "Easy on the Heart"
* Shirley Horn – vocals on "Lonely Town", "In Love in Vain", "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life", "The Folks Who Live on the Hill"
& Orchestra

sample & buy: The Art of the Song