Reviewed: 2018-11-12
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: Charlie Haden combined the solid tonal qualities of his bass playing with an audacious sense of harmonic adventure. He would later go on to pronounce Mehldau one of the most important musicians of his generation because of his unique voice, his depth of knowledge and facility on the instrument, and how he has moved the language of jazz forward. ”Charlie is gone now, and this recording was made “long ago and far away”, yet the music remains immediate. The music is now.” – Ruth Cameron Haden, July 2018
If You Like: Geri Allen, Jaki Byard, Ron Carter
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
1/ Au Privave (9;57) - piano starts> midtempo duet with Mehldau swinging & Haden plodding> quick fade
2/ My Old Flame (9:30) – piano swings up for a few bars, then settles into a slow duet> bass solo> slow jam> slow fade
*3/ What’ll I Do (12:02) – piano starts> slow duet builds to midtempo with Mehldau dancing along the keys> bass solo> piano solo swings out> slows to slow duet> slows to stop
*4/ Long Ago And Far Away (15:11) – piano starts> Mehldau playing rings around Haden in sprightly midtempo duet> Mehldau swings uptempo while Haden holds steady> bass solo> midtempo duet stops & starts> fade
**5/ My Love And I (13:08) – piano starts> midtempo duet swings into exuberant uptempo> subtle bass solo> uptempo jam mellows to midtempo, then slows to fade
*6/ Everything Happens To Me (12:35) – piano starts> slow duet> bass solo> slow duet with flourishes from Mehldau slows even more, then swings back up in a celebratory uptempo duet, then slows to fade