Woodard and Haden: Conversations with Charlie Haden
(Silman-James)
Interviews transcribed from tape recordings and transformed into print are often boring substitutes for writing. With judicious editing, however, the technique can be illuminating. Journalist Josef Woodard’s many chats with bassist Charlie Haden (1937-2014) provide valuable insights into what fueled Haden’s musical tastes and goals and the social conscience that was inseparable from his music. Woodard draws out Haden on child stardom in his family’s western band, his key role with Ornette Coleman and the emergence of free jazz, and events beyond. “…I heard Ornette play,” he tells Woodard, “and I said, man, that’s what I’ve been hearing.” Among other areas of his packed musical life, Haden discusses his Liberation Music Orchestra, pianist Keith Jarrett, the importance of Carla Bley, the creation of Quartet West and his collaborations with Pat Metheny. The book’s laudatory forewords are by Bill Frisell and Alan Broadbent.
(Silman-James)Interviews transcribed from tape recordings and transformed into print are often boring substitutes for writing. With judicious editing, however, the technique can be illuminating. Journalist Josef Woodard’s many chats with bassist Charlie Haden (1937-2014) provide valuable insights into what fueled Haden’s musical tastes and goals and the social conscience that was inseparable from his music. Woodard draws out Haden on child stardom in his family’s western band, his key role with Ornette Coleman and the emergence of free jazz, and events beyond. “…I heard Ornette play,” he tells Woodard, “and I said, man, that’s what I’ve been hearing.” Among other areas of his packed musical life, Haden discusses his Liberation Music Orchestra, pianist Keith Jarrett, the importance of Carla Bley, the creation of Quartet West and his collaborations with Pat Metheny. The book’s laudatory forewords are by Bill Frisell and Alan Broadbent.
