Dancing in the Garden of Muses #2

Dancing In the Garden of the Muses #2 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Charlie Haden & Quartet West - Jazz Baltica 1999

Another fine unpublished live recording; this one from one of the most important quartets in jazz over the last 2o + years. It's hard for me to believe that Quartet West was some 13 years together by this point. Seems like yesterday I heard that first album and was knocked out. This beautiful recording features tunes from at least 4 different albums, all of them played if anything better than the originals. I actually listen to this more often than all the regular releases put together. Bless those European radio broadcasts.

Charlie Haden & Quartet West Live at Jazz Baltica 1999
Unpublished live recording

1 Hello, My Lovely
2 Child's Play
3 First Song
4 The Long Goodbye
5 Segment
6 Body and Soul

Charlie Haden bass
Ernie Watts tenor sax
Alan Broadbent piano
Lawrence Marable drums

Kublah's Xanadu Dreams #1

Xanadu was established in 1975 by former Prestige exec Don Schlitten both as a vehicle to continue publishing the artists he had spent a career with at various labels and to re-issue impossibly rare recordings going back to the birth of BeBop. Like Muse, Mainstream, Flying Dutchman and the other big players of the 70's, Xanadu actually benefited to some degree by the alleged 'Death of Jazz' in that they no longer bothered to angle for commercial success but instead catered to the real but reduced market with high quality jazz with a primary focus on BeBop.

Kublah's Xanadu Dreams #1 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Conversations with Charlie Haden

The new restrictions here in the U.S. make tribute posts considerably more difficult, but by using three long tracks from a live show at the 1990 Montreal Jazz Fest I think you'll find this half hour well spent.

Charlie was one of the ultimate conversationalists amongst bassists. A player perfectly suited to smaller format groups where he could stretch out with his beautiful melodic statements that always kept the 'song' well within sight. Even his free jazz rarely strayed too far from the melody which gave Ornette Coleman the freedom to go as far out as he wished, knowing that Charlie was there like a life line.

Jim Hall and Charlie played together in duets several times between 2000 and Jim's death last year, but this is the earliest time that I have come across. I wonder why this was never added to the Montreal Tapes box set? As far as I can tell, it has never been released.

Conversations With Charlie Haden by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Dancing in the Garden of the Muses vol 1

Muse Records was an American record label active circa 1972 to 1996 which released jazz and blues music. Muse was founded by Joe Fields, previously an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s. The label became a haven for producers who were leaving their failing major labels. Often they brought their musician relationships with them, as well as session tapes, some of the resulting releases were reissues from the failed labels, but most was new music.

We all have a special affinity for the music of our late teens and 20's. For me that includes a strong love of the independent Jazz labels of the 70's like Muse, Xanadu, Strata East and Black Jazz. These 16 tracks come from the first 18 albums issued by Muse (2 didn't work, but I had them!). Artists include James Moody, Roy Brooks, Jimmy Raney, Don Patterson, Eric Kloss, Jaki Byard, Tiny Grimes, Al Cohn/Zoot Sims, Pete LaRoca, Kenny Baron, Cecil Payne/Duke Jordan, Cedar Walton, Grant Green, Sonny Stitt, and Dom Um Romao.

Dancing In the Garden of the Muses #1 by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Charlie Haden & Hampton Hawes - As Long as There's Music (1976)

I don't normally post CDs here, but this seems out of print. It's my memorial for Charlie Haden who passed away recently, and features him in duets with my favourite pianist. From the Verve CD reissue which includes three alternative takes.

Review by Scott Yanow:
Although one would not immediately associate bassist Charlie Haden with pianist Hampton Hawes, they had performed together on an occasional basis since first meeting in 1957. This Artists House LP, a set of five duets, was their last opportunity to play together because Hawes would pass away the following year. The music includes a fairly free improvisation on "Hello/ Goodbye," the duo's intepretation of the title cut, a collaboration on "This Is Called Love" and two originals from the pianist. This quiet and often lyrical set contains a great deal of thoughtful and subtle music by two masters.

01 - Irene
02 - Rain Forest
03 - Turn Around
04 - As Long As There's Music
05 - This Is Called Loved
06 - Hello Goodbye
07 - Irene (Alternative)
08 - Turnaround (Alternative)
09 - As Long As There's Music (Alternative)

Kendun Recorders, Burbank, CA, January 25, 1976
and
The Village Recorder, Los Angeles, CA, August 21, 1976

Hampton Hawes (piano) Charlie Haden (bass)

Real Live Jazz #3: These Are Soulful Days

More Real Live Jazz! This set with Melvin Sparks 2003, Herbie Hancock & Michael Brecker 1988, Dave Holland Quintet 2000, Don Grolnick with Joe Henderson 1991, Pat Martino with Joey DeFrancesca 2002, Charlie Haden Quartet West 1999, Bobby Hutcherson Quintet 1996, The Cookers 2009, Carla Bley w/ Paulo Fresu 2007, Brian Blade Fellowship 2008, and Wallace Rooney Sextet 2000.

Real Live Jazz #3: These Are Soulful Days by Kingcake on Mixcloud

John Patton - Along Came John (1963) [vinyl>flac]

Along Came John is the debut album by American organist John Patton, recorded in 1963 and released on the Blue Note label. ~ Wiki.

An excellent John Patton album and one that's got a two-tenor lineup for an extra-heavy soul jazz sound! Fred Jackson and Harold Vick are on the dual reeds, and Grant Green brings up the rear on guitar. Over it all is John Patton's searing organ, and Ben Dixon grooves nicely on drums. Most of the tracks are by Patton and Dixon, and titles include "Gee Gee", "Pig Foots", "Spiffy Diffy", "Along Came John", and the classic modal groover "The Silver Meter". Great stuff and one of Patton's best albums! ~ Dusty Groove Inc.

These original compositions may not all be memorable, but the band's interaction, improvisation, and solos are. Tenor saxophonists Fred Jackson and Harold Vick provide good support, as well, but the show belongs to Patton, Green, and Dixon, who once again prove they are one of the finest soul-jazz combos of their era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG.

Blue Note, BST 84130, 1963

Recorded 5^th April, 1963 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Personnel:

John Patton - Organ

Harold Vick - Tenor Saxophone

Fred Jackson - Tenor Saxophone

Grant Green - Guitar

Ben Dixon - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. The Silver Meter {Ben Dixon} (5:40)

A2. I'll Never Be Free {Bennie Benjamin, George David Weiss} (5:02)

A3. Spiffy Diffy {Ben Dixon} (5:59)

B1. Along Came John {John Patton} (6:01)

B2. Gee Gee {John Patton} (6:01)

B3. Pig Foots {Ben Dixon} (5:42)

Credits:

Producer - Alfred Lion

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Artwork [Cover Design] - Reid Miles

Photography [Cover] - Francis Wolff

Liner Notes - Joe Goldberg