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| Charlie Haden Quartet at The Blue Note Charlie Haden returns to the Blue Note to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Quartet West (Charlie Haden (bass), Alan Broadbent (piano), Ernie Watts (tenor saxophone), Rodney Green (drums) at the Blue Note Jazz Club, NYC, August 15-20. Born in Shenandoah, Iowa, Grammy award winner Charlie Haden took up the bass in his early teens and moved to Los Angeles to develop his craft in the mid-50's. It was in L.A. that Haden met and played with jazz giants such as Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, and Dexter Gordon. Upon joining alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman's quartet in 1959, Haden was catapulted to the forefront of the avant-garde, the most progressive art form in jazz since be-bop. Coleman's quartet, anchored by Haden's bass and flanked by Don Cherry on trumpet and Billy Higgins on drums, released their first album in 1959, titled The Shape of Jazz to Come The impact of this album and subsequent releases is still felt in today's jazz world, as the members of Coleman's quartet are widely considered a few of the founding fathers of avant-garde jazz. But Haden, always the musical chameleon, shifted his musical vision drastically by 1969 when he joined forces with pianist/composer Carla Bley, founding the Liberation Music Orchestra. The group's self-titled debut is a true milestone of modern music, blending experimental big band jazz with the folk songs of the Spanish Civil War. As a leader, Haden's Quartet West has remained his most steady and rewarding project. Since the release of their self-titled album in 1987, Quartet West has become Haden's most popular group, now as energetic as ever. Stylistically, the group defies definition, ranging from bop to free jazz all in the span of a single concert. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |