Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba Tokyo Adagio

When Charlie Haden had become confined to home when too ill to travel from the effects of post-polio syndrome, he started listening to tapes of his previous concerts and discovered the performances he had made with the Cuban pianist, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, at the Blue Note in Tokyo in 2005. The music was such that he wanted it released, and along with Jean-Phillippe Allard his producer from Impulse! and Universal Music France, they made the selections that appear on “Tokyo Adagio” (Impulse!) ready for release.

Haden and Rubalcaba had met in Havana in 1986 where his group played on a Havana Jazz Plaza Festival on the same night as Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, and Haden quickly became a major supporter of the pianist, urging Bruce Lundvall of Blue Note Records to sign him. He joined Haden, along with drummer Paul Motian at the 1989 Montreal Jazz Festival, and the music was issued as part of Haden’s “The Montreal Tapes” series. They would collaborate in concert and on recordings a number of more times, including the six songs (sequenced by Haden) the pair performed over four nights in Toyko that are presented here.

Rubalcaba is a marvelously gifted pianist with stunning technique and touch that goes with the keen musical intelligence he manifests throughout these duets, which display the empathy he and Haden had in these intimate and lyrical performances, opening with Martin Rojas’ lovely ballad “En La Orilla Del Mundo (The Edge of the World).” Haden’s love of movie music is displayed in the romanticism that permeates their rendition of the Johnny Mercer-David Raskin composed “My Love and I,” with Haden more prominent in the performance with the first solo (accented by the pianist’s chords) followed by more remarkable, and beautiful playing from Rubalcaba.

Ornette Coleman’s “When Will the Blues Leave” (first recorded in 1958), is taken at a bit more spirited tempo, and after Haden’s strong solo, Rubalcaba’s wonderful playing brings out the melodic delight of Coleman’s composition as he does on Haden’s own “Sandino,” whose title commemorates the Nicaraguan revolutionary leader where he is able to mix lines played at high velocity with several bars played in a more stately manner while providing a feeling of calmness, even through the most rhythmically stirring passages. After a lovely rendition of “Solamente Una Vez (You Belong To My Heart),” Agustîn Lara’s bolero, “Tokyo Adagio” concludes with Rubalcaba’s lovely ballad, “Transparence,” on which Haden provides the last musical utterance with a musical figure after the pianist’s ending.

Ned Sublette, in his appreciation in the liner booklet, observes the sense of calm about the music heard here and the enchanting performances here certainly are in accord with this. The booklet also provides Rubalcaba’s memories of Haden and these performances, and has  recollections of Haden’s widow, Ruth Cameron-Haden who notes Haden’s love of the slow movements in classical pieces (leading to the album title), his going to Tokyo to perform despite starting to experience the effects of post-polio syndrome, and the production of this recording. Listeners should be grateful that Haden was insistent about having the music on “Tokyo Adagio” released after he had passed on. It is a recording full of beauty, spirit and heart characteristic of Charlie Haden’s remarkable career.



I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2015 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 363).  Here is a performance of Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba from an earlier album.

James Cotton Always Was Deep In The Blues

James Cotton’s new Verve release, Deep in the Blues, has the legendary harmonica player and blues singer accompanied by Joe Louis Walker and jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Also, longtime Cotton collaborator, pianist Dave Maxwell is present on three of the 14 tracks. The album is an acoustic “unplugged” session, and a total delight. Cotton has had health problems in recent years, and the most evident toll has been on his voice which has come across as a ghost of its former husky self, but little effect is evident in his still splendid harp playing. Not straining against a full electric band backing, Cotton’s vocals sound comfortable in the setting. The songs are mostly blues standards, including Sonny Boy Williamson’s Dealin’ With the Devil; Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Play With Your Poodle; Percy Mayfield’s Strange Things Happenin’ and Big Maceo’s Worried Life Blues (two splendid duets with pianist Maxwell); and Muddy Water’s Sad Letter. Both Walker and Haden each have a solo instrumental, with Walker’s spotlighting his considerable skills using a slide. Walker forcefully sings on Muddy’s Two Trains Runnin’ with Cotton’s harp providing the crying harp commentary. Blues in My Sleep, a fine moody harmonica instrumental is the only selection where all four play together. There’s no new musical ground here, but rather musicians, friends and peers that have come to play some blues together. It’s a very congenial, low-key effort that will delight fans of Cotton and many others. This review originally appeared in the November 1996 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 216). I likely received a review copy from the record label. Here is Cotton with Eric Clapton unplugged.

Some Outstanding Vintage Jazz Recordings of 2010

The second installment of my look back at 2010 with some choice Vintage jazz releases.

Noah Howard Schizophrenic Blues (FMP-Destination Out) Howard, who recently passed away, was among the first wave of free jazz artists and this session from 1977 is among a series of downloads of out-of-print FMP CDs that the Destination Out website has started. As I recently noted that “even at its most Ayleresque moments “Fire March,” there is a lyricism as well as a blues foundation that makes this release engaging.

Charlie Haden The Complete Remastered Recordings on Soul Note (Soul Note). One of a number of recent Black Saint and Soul Note reissues with 5 CDs in mini lp jackets. This includes two original CDs by Old and New Dreams, the Ornette Coleman Alumni group with Dewey Redman, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell, along with Etudes with Paul Motian and Geri Allen, Silence by Charlie Haden With Chet Baker, Enrico Pieranunzi, Billy Higgins and Enrico Pieranunzi’s First Song.

Nat King Cole, Riffin': The Decca, JATP, Keynote & Mercury Recordings (Verve) Three CDs has classic recordings by the King Cole Trio, his Jazz at the Philharmonic performances and sessions with the Keynoters, Dexter Gordon and Lester Young.

George Russell The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note (Black Saint). Nine CD set with various groups that provide different takes on the late composer and jazz theorist’s works, Includes some great musicians from both the United States and Europe.

Publish Post

John Carter & Bobby Bradford Mosaic Select: The Complete Revelation Recordings (Mosaic) A valuable reissue of West Coast duo who were associated with Ornette Coleman . Includes much unissued duets as well as reissues the Revelation albums. Now if someone will do a complete reissue of Carter’s Five CD series, "Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music."

Miles Davis The Complete Bitches Brew (Sony). It has been 40 years since this path-making disc. This 40th Anniversary 3-disc package offers the original album on 2 CDs plus rare bonus audio material and a DVD of the entire previously unreleased Copenhagen performance from November 4, 1969.

Fats Waller Fats Waller On The Air: 1938 Broadcasts (Tai Ping Records). A reissue of primarily broadcast recordings that includes some selections that i believe have not been previously reissued. Marvelous recordings with His Rhythm as well as English broadcast with him on organ as well as backing vocalist Adelaide Hall.