Search - Charlie Haden :: Dream Keeper

Snaky Bay Area Vibes with Chorus & Orchestra

Mountain Charley | Half Moon Bay, CA | 05/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Slow moving & sonorous to start, switching between a small ensemble & orchestral sound, I find this album chewy with complex musical ideas. If I didn't know what I was hearing I still think I'd spot it quickly as a Haden - Carla Bley collaboration. This is one of the rarer of a series of recordings using a Youth Chorus from Oakland, CA. Believe me I appreciate the rich cultural environment of the SF Bay Area; I feel very fortunate to have been born here.

With snaky sounds over pulsating rhythms, then switching to a martial groove, then on to Bossa Nova, the inventiveness never seems to end till the final note. It sounds a bit like "Music for a Genuine Tong Funeral" & also reminds me of the JCOA Box Sets. I like this quite a bit. It isn't particularly difficult music to appreciate, but does require a bit of an open musical mind. A solid four stars in absolute terms, compared to tripe like Wynton Marsalis (his brother Branford does play on this disc), I'd give it an infinite loop of galaxies. I give it 5 because I'm quite partial to Carla Bley & the whole aesthetic she embodies."

Saw the tour with the full group and it was outstanding

macfawlty | potomac, MD USA | 08/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The group toured with a bunch of major players to some very selective dates and they were backed up by the Duke Ellington School choir where the concert was. It was one of those very rare moments in a jazz listener/collectors life. It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen and I have seen a fair share of jazz over the last 20 years. The album is one of my all time favorites, and with close to 3000 records, that says a lot. Such beauty and variety in composition. Feel free to email me."

Amazing music by the rare Liberation Music Orchestra

JEAN-MARIE JUIF | BESANCON France | 09/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This April 1990 recording of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra is one of a handful.The personnel is superlative: Carla Bley,cond,Dewey Redman,Joe Lovano,Branford Marsalis,Ken McIntyre,reeds;Tom Harrell,Earl Gardner,trumpet;Sharon Freeman,french horn;Ray Anderson,trombone;Joe Daley,tuba;Amina Claudine Myers,pîano;Mick Goodrick,guitar;Don Alias,perc;Juan Lazzaro Mendolas,flutes;and Paul Motian,drums.The music is at the same incredible level than on the "ballad of the fallen" album from 1982.The "dream keeper" suite,with words by Langston Hughes,is composed of eight tunes:the four parts titled "dream keeper" were written by Carla Bley;the four others come from Venezuela "canto del pilon" I & II,El Salvador "feliciano ama",and the Spanish Civil war "hymn of the anarchist women's movement".There are no words to describe the haunting beauty of this music, so close to a Duke Ellington's suite.Fanfares parts alternate with improvised moments,and how great it would have been to have Albert Ayler in the reed section ! Like in Charlie's "ballad of the fallen",the spanish tunes from the civil war may be the most emotionnal tunes,because they were the songs of men fighting desperatly against fascism and dictatorship.Speaking of the Spanish Civil War, if you're interested in these sad times of our history,I urge you to read George Orwell's writings on the subject.The second tune,"rabo de nube",was written by a cuban musician and arranged by Carla's daughter,Karen Mantler.Another masterpiece of this record is the version of "nkosi sikelel'i afrika",the anthem of the African National Congress.After a beautiful fanfare introduction,Dewey Redman comes in for a long free improvisation."spiritual",as the name says, is a church song,written by Haden in memory of Martin Luther King,Medgar Evers and Malcolm X.Ray Anderson's trombone shines here,with Amina Claudine Myers moving piano playing.This is outstanding music, full of noise and fury (thanks William and William),a shout for hope and love and beauty.Surely, this is one of the most important recordings of the last decade,if not the greatest."