Charlie Haden died the other day. An extraordinary human being whose bass playing is as sensitive and masterful as any I've ever heard.http://tinyurl.com/o52rj5o This version of Body and Soul is so absolutely gorgeous because, among other things, he gets the yearning of the piece perfectly. And yes, Billy Higgins brush work is mesmerizing and Alan Broadbent wraps his piano around this standard like a flowering vine... When Ernie Watts comes in late in the song you just need to sigh... But it's Charlie's quartet, and this piece belongs to him.
I remember seeing him at Wesleyan with Keith Jarrett, joined by the rest of the quartet, the late Dewey Redman on sax and the late extraordinary Paul Motian on drums. They played a gig in the old McConaughy Hall that I still rate as one of the best jazz concerts I've ever attended. The last long piece ended with Charlie playing with electric intensity as he moved his pegs and kept retuning. As it ended I remember Keith Jarrett looking up at Charlie and smiling at him, shaking his head in awe and delight -- which is something one rarely sees. Rest in peace Charlie.
PS Click here for a beautiful obituary by New York Times music editor Nat Chinen.
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