Charlie Haden Quartet West - Quartet West

The debut of Haden's magnificent West Coast group

Haden gives a brief history of the foundation of Quartet West in the sleevenotes of 1996's 'Now is the Hour': in 1979 he moved back from New York to LA, where he met his wife-to-be, Ruth Cameron in 1984. Apparently it was her idea to recruit a band for Haden in LA. And this is the band's first recording, from 1987.

It's an altogether more modest affair than Haden's previous ensemble pieces on 'Ballad of the Fallen' and 'Liberation Music Orchestra', but it is intelligent and subtle. 'Taney County' features a beautiful solo by Haden, dedicated to his father and mother, with whom he used to sing on the 'Haden Family Radio Show' from 1939 to 1953. (You'll need to buy 'The Art of The Song' to see an archive photo of the family.) Haden makes his bass sing with a mixture of rich tonal colours and timing changes.

The stand-out tracks for me are new versions of Pat Metheny's 'Hermitage' (which got me racing back to the original, a track I had barely noticed on 'New Chautauqua'), of the Washington/Young song 'My Foolish Heart', and a new Haden tune 'Bay City'.

This album, by the way, features on drums Billy Higgins, who died this month (May 2001). His replacement about ten years ago by Larance Marable is the only personnel change the Quartet has undergone.

Thankfully there is no singing on this CD. This is one of the best Quartet West albums, and I am amazed that no-one has yet reviewed it for .... May 11, 2001

The debut of Haden's magnificent West Coast group

Haden gives a brief history of the foundation of Quartet West in the sleevenotes of 1996's 'Now is the Hour': in 1979 he moved back from New York to LA, where he met his wife-to-be, Ruth Cameron in 1984. Apparently it was her idea to recruit a band for Haden in LA. And this is the band's first recording, from 1987.

It's an altogether more modest affair than Haden's previous ensemble pieces on 'Ballad of the Fallen' and 'Liberation Music Orchestra', but it is intelligent and subtle. 'Taney County' features a beautiful solo by Haden, dedicated to his father and mother, with whom he used to sing on the 'Haden Family Radio Show' from 1939 to 1953. (You'll need to buy 'The Art of The Song' to see an archive photo of the family.) Haden makes his bass sing with a mixture of rich tonal colours and timing changes.

The stand-out tracks for me are new versions of Pat Metheny's 'Hermitage' (which got me racing back to the original, a track I had barely noticed on 'New Chautauqua'), of the Washington/Young song 'My Foolish Heart', and a new Haden tune 'Bay City'.

This album, by the way, features on drums Billy Higgins, who died this month (May 2001). His replacement about ten years ago by Larance Marable is the only personnel change the Quartet has undergone.

Thankfully there is no singing on this CD. This is one of the best Quartet West albums, and I am amazed that no-one has yet reviewed it for Amazon. May 11, 2001

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