Music Banter - RIP Charlie Haden

Charles Edward Haden (b. 1937) died today of a long illness at age 76. Starting off as a country musician and singer, Haden took up bass after contracting a form of polio that destroyed his singing voice and became interested in jazz and classical music. He played first with Paul Bley and eventually ended up in Ornette Coleman's band (Bley had played with Ornette as well). After moving to New York, the band did away with jazz song structure and played by ear whatever Ornette felt like playing which resulting in new chord structures and in so doing invented free jazz.

Haden has played with everybody in jazz who is anybody and made several solo albums. His solo stuff revealed his preoccupation with swing jazz. In spite of his rep as the original free jazz bassist, Haden was, at heart, a swing bassist. Charlie Haden had long ago cemented his legacy in place. No one studies jazz bass today without studying Haden.

http://www.bluenote.com/cdn/mceuploa...rlie-haden.jpg

From the legendary and revolutionary Ornette debut album, "The Shape of Jazz to Come":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJULMOw69EI