Charlie Haden still keeps it in the family
Category: Music

Charlie Haden still keeps it in the family
By Ken Eisner
straight.com

Life is full of many odd circles and repetitions, but it's a rare person who starts performing in a family country band at only 22 months old and then sails past his 70th year heading his own brood of blood-related musicians. That, however, is exactly what jazz veteran Charlie Haden now finds himself undertaking.

After moving to Los Angeles in the 1950s, the Iowa-born Haden lent his probing bass lines to some of the most outré saxophone players the jazz world has ever known (Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, and Dewey Redman among them), as well as performing with idiosyncratic solo artists like Keith Jarrett, Carla Bley, and Yoko Ono. Over the years, Haden has also made his deep affection for rural folk music come alive, most notably in collaboration with fellow midwesterner Pat Metheny in 1997's Beyond the Missouri Sky.

When the Georgia Straight catches up with him, he is putting the last touches on a new album to be called Charlie Haden Family and Friends: Ocean of Diamonds. The record features the bassist-composer with his wife, singer (and producer) Ruth Cameron, son Josh Haden, and triplet daughters Petra, Rachel, and Tanya. (The last named is better known to some for having married Jack Black.) Other performers onboard include Metheny, Vince Gill, Béla Fleck, Rosanne Cash, and Elvis Costello.

"We've been talking about this ever since Pat and I did Missouri Sky and we went to visit my mom in the Ozarks and everybody sang for her 80th birthday," Haden says, reached at his L.A. home.

That was more than a decade ago, and the veteran musician is talking today because he's about to launch another tour with a different favourite entity, Charlie Haden's Quartet West. Now into its third decade, the foursome—with fellow Californian Ernie Watts on saxophone, New Zealand–born pianist Alan Broadbent, and new drummer Rodney Green—does have some connections with Haden's interest in Americana.

At its upcoming Vancouver International Jazz Festival show, Quartet West will play a blend of jazz ballads and obscure songs associated with old Hollywood and film noir in particular, as heard in a best-of album recently released on Verve. Using sampled snippets of dialogue, orchestral soundtracks, and the occasional Billie Holiday vocal, the group is known for its hushed sense of reverie, nostalgia, and surprise.

"You'll definitely get all that," Haden says. "We play music from an era when what was on the radio went a little bit deeper. I keep discovering and rediscovering things through whatever projects I'm working on. I love finding out more about the music that comes from America. The inspiration for Quartet West came from the beauty of our culture in the '30s, '40s, and '50s. But we don't just do older material. In Vancouver, we'll be playing new tunes of mine, and by Ornette Coleman and others."

After his Quartet West tour, Haden has some family-band dates, including a big August show at New York's Lincoln Centre—the culmination, perhaps, of a documentary on his life that's being filmed for Swiss television. Mostly though, he's still about the music.

"I've always been interested in all kinds of music and all kinds of musicians, ever since I was a kid," says the bassist. "My main goal has been to meet people who were on the same track—which is playin' music to help make the planet a better place."

To that end, Haden has had several runs at holding together—with pianist-arranger Bley—the Liberation Music Orchestra, a large group devoted to political provocation. (The LMO's most recent release, Not in Our Name, came out in 2005.)

"That group's about a lot of things. But mainly it's about wanting the governments of the world to appreciate life. We're playing at the Blue Note the week of the [U.S. presidential] election, so let's hope that has some small effect," he adds with a chuckle. "We're starting to have some expectations of change now, and that came into being because of the cruelty and greed of the government that came into power. Most people have finally opened their eyes to what has been going on; Pat wrote a song for the new record [Ocean of Diamonds] called 'Katrina, 2005: Is This America?' Now these guys are in their anterooms, counting all the money they've stolen in the past eight years, and it's really sad that they won't be held accountable for their crimes."

If the bassist feels some glimmer of hope regarding U.S. politics, he still worries about the state of popular music in general.

"It's always been about good ears," he says. "If people are born with good ears, they can appreciate good music of all types. And people who weren't at least have the possibility of educating their ears. As it is now, the culture is in really deep trouble, musically. Of course, it's hard to know what people are listening to, with everyone walking around with iPod buds in their ears. I'd like to think they are into things that express deeper values, but how can you know when everyone is so isolated?"

In contrast, Haden just keeps getting more connected with his growing community of musical colleagues, and with the prairie populism that inspired him as a child.

"There's a kind of progressive innovation that comes from this country and keeps popping up," he notes. "When it happens, it can be very timely. But at its best, it's also timeless."

Charlie Haden's Quartet West plays the Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts on Saturday (June 21).

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Esbjörn

I got word today that Esbjörn Svensson died Saturday June 14 in a diving accident.

Aside from being an incredible person and musician, composer, and arranger, leader of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio (est), and award-winning jazz pianist, he played all of the keyboards and did all the string arrangements on the 1999 Spain album "She Haunts My Dreams".

I worked with Esbjörn two other times, on Freddie Wadling's 1999 "En Skiva Till Kaffet" and I had the honor of singing on est's 2003 album "Seven Days Of Falling", on a song co-written by myself and Esbjörn entitled "Love Is Real".

Spain's "She Haunts My Dreams" would not have been the same without Esbjörn's musical insight and expertise and anyone who hears it will agree with me.

I was always struck by his musicality, his sensitivity, professionalism, passion, and sense of innovation. He was also just a really nice guy. I will always have great memories of working with him.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and bandmates. It's an unbelievable loss.

Josh

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Spain At The Echo Wed. 6-11-08
Category: Parties and Nightlife

Spain will be playing new songs and some oldies but goodies too this Wednesday, June 11 at the Echo in Los Angeles, California. We have an unlimited $5.00 guest list for the show so if you'd like to be included on it feel free to send me an email at jhaden@mac.com and let me know.

June 11, 2008
Spain 10pm
Daniel Ahearn 9pm
Correatown 11pm
the Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
$7 ($5 unlimited guestlist, email jhaden@mac.com to be included)
(213) 413-8200

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It’s So True
Category: Music

Rykodisc.com is offering a free download of the Spain song 'It's So True' (from the 'Blue Moods Of Spain' cd) as part of Rykodisc's 25th anniversary celebration.

Registration is required, but you also get to download free songs from Andrew Bird, Morphine, Lori Carson, and Galaxie 500, plus free songs from five different Rykodisc artists every month. The Spain song is available starting today until the 24th of next month.

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New Spain Song Up
Category: Music

Our first new song in over eight years has been posted on the Spain myspace page, available now for your listening and downloading pleasure. It's called 'I'm Still Free', let me know what you think!

Josh

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Dead Sea Scrolls Tonight 4/14/08
Category: Parties and Nightlife

April 14, 2008
Dead Sea Scrolls (Josh Haden Solo Project)
Abe Lincoln Story
Mr. T's Bowl
5621 1/2 N. Figueroa St.
Highland Park, CA 90042
323-256-7561
9pm/21+/Free

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Dead Sea Scrolls Tonight
Category: Parties and Nightlife

Dead Sea Scrolls will be opening for my favorite comedian Neil Hamburger tonight at Spaceland in Silver Lake. Hope to see you there!

March 30, 2008
Dead Sea Scrolls (Josh Haden Solo Project)
Spaceland
1717 Silverlake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
213-985-4333
9pm/21+/$8

Also appearing: Neil Hamburger, Andy Daly (from Mad TV), and the Juggolos.

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New Spain/Josh Haden Merchandise
Category: Music

I’m working with cafepress.com to bring you new Spain/Josh Haden/Dead Sea Scrolls merchandise. Right now there’s a Spain logo t-shirt and a ’Devoted’ front cover t-shirt in lots of different styles and colors, as well as other kinds of merch such as coffee mugs, caps, and a bumper sticker.

Check it out at http://www.cafepress.com/diamondsoul

As the new Spain and Dead Sea Scrolls cds develop I’ll be adding new designs, so check back often!

Thanks!

Josh

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By Special Request

By special request, 'Discontent' added to music player.

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Final Dead Sea Scrolls Residency Tonight

Please join me tonight for the final night of the Dead Sea Scrolls February residency at the Nova Express Cafe in Hollywood. Admission is free, and there's great pizza too.

FYI, I posted a live track from last Wednesday's residency appearance on my blog, it can be found at http://joshhaden.blogspot.com/2008/02/dead-sea-scrolls-live-at-nova-express.html

February 27, 2008
Dead Sea Scrolls (Josh Haden Solo Project)
Nova Express Cafe
426 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-658-7533
9pm/All Ages/Free

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