| Charlie Haden/Pat Metheny: Beyond the Missouri Sky | ||
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Copyright 1996 Adam Barnhart. All Rights Reserved. Fair use of this document.In 1959, Ornette Coleman knocked the jazz world on its collective ear with the release of Something Else. The album ushered in the era of free jazz and harmelodics, freeing musicians all over the world from traditional notions of melody, harmony, and rhythm. From that point, Coleman has gone on to a long and successful career as the giant figure of the mid- to late-century among the jazz cognoscenti by exploiting these advances, playing with a collection of musicians as impressive as anyone, up to and including Frank Zappa. Among that group, two of the best known are bassist Charlie Haden, who played in the Something Else combo, and guitarist Pat Metheny, who collaborated with Coleman on Song X.Charlie Haden has always been a different sort of bass hero. While the recent history of the bass has been largely written by a number of gunslingers, Haden, since appearing with Coleman on Something Else, has continually played uncluttered soaring melodic lines that have established him as one of the truly unique voices in jazz. As the first "free jazz" player in the history of the instrument, Haden has rarely paid attention to convention and has, rather, focused on his art. As a sideman, his ability to provide a sympathetic connection with the soloist is unparalleled. As a leader, he's fronted two grammy-nominated units, the Liberation Music Orchestra and the Quartet West, that have earned all the acclaim they have received. Though great in any situation, Haden's star has always shone brightest in an intimate setting. With the release of Beyond the Missouri Sky, Haden is paired up with longtime friend and fellow harmelodician, Pat Metheny, in thirteen duets that allow both musicians to play and to breathe. Though several of the songs on the album have little or no orchestration beyond the acoustic bass and guitar, the recording never falls into the stark and empty feel that plagues so many duets. Standing beside them, the more orchestrated pieces add a sense of variety without being busy. Above all of this, of course, is the playing. Metheny's chameleonesque playing (contrast Bright Size Life with Zero Tolerance For Silence) is thoroughly accessible while still being inventive. Haden, of course, makes rooted half-notes and extended solos both equally melodic in his initimable style while writing two of the CD's strongest tunes, Our Spanish Love Song and First Song (for Ruth). The high point of the album is the finale, Spiritual, written by Haden's son Josh, a song that is beautiful and sensitive without being maudlin and fragile. Animated in some places, pensive in others, Beyond the Missouri Sky is a milestone for both Haden and Metheny -- an excellent introduction to the talents of both men for newcomers and a welcome reacquaintance for longtime fans.
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