Search - Charlie Haden :: Closeness Duets

Get it before it goes out of print again

m_noland | Washington, DC United States | 08/29/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let's start with the obvious: Bass duets are not everyone's cup of tea. That said, Haden is a very lyrical player and this recording has more appeal than many would expect. The programmers were right to start the disk with the duet with Keith Jarrett: the piano-bass combination is the least unusual, Jarrett has a lot of commercial appeal, and the duet itself is based on the kind of contemplative theme well-suited to Jarrett's style. The next duet is a bluesy romp with Ornette Coleman. Back to the quieter more lyrical mode in the third duet with Alice Coltrane on "For Turiya." Some may be familiar with this piece which also is performed on the Haden-Garbarek-Gismonti "Folksongs" album. The final duet with drummer Paul Motian uses revolutionary song recordings and harkens back to the avowedly political music of the Liberation Music Orchestra. All and all a very appealing disk."