To further my understanding of Jazz, I'm listening through Jazzwise Magazine's "The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World". Each album is presented with my stream-of-consciousness thoughts for each track, my general thoughts of the album as a whole, and any relevant information I can capture about the album. Also included is my drink of choice while taking the album in. Thank you for joining me on my journey to [partial] Jazz enlightenment.
Album 90
Charlie Haden - Liberation Music Orchestra
Drinking: Equal Exchange Love Buzz Coffee
- "The Introduction": A sweet, full sounding, melancholy introduction to the album. It creates a feeling similar to the beginning of an old school motion picture. I wish I had more to say about this track, but the above thoughts capture it pretty well.
- "Song Of The United Front": I acknowledge that this is usually treated as a single track combined with "The Introduction", but the streaming platform I use treats it as a separate track, so I will be doing so as well. This track captures the sound and feel of old propaganda movies from the '40s and '50s. It sets the tone of the story this album is trying to tell which Jazzwise Magazine describes as "one of the most explicit endorsements of leftist sentiments to found in the entire jazz world."
- "El Quinto Regimento (The Fifth Regiment)/Los Cuatro Generales (The Four Generals)/Viva La Quince Brigada (Long Live The Fifteenth Brigade)": The three acts to this track is made up of traditional Spanish Civil War tracks that were arranged by Carla Bley, the piano player on the album. The acoustic guitar evokes the feeling of the calm before a battle, the quiet before the storm, while also honoring the Spanish origins of the music. The full band joins in and transports the listener into the deserts of the west. Musically it transforms into this wild and cacophonous battle between instruments. The brass is the screaming victims of war, and the percussion beat out the back and forth of gunfire. While these moments aren't necessarily pleasant, it captures the moment beautifully. Eventually, the battle subsides and the somber acoustic guitar returns. In my mind, I'm seeing each side search the field for survivors, while others are mourning the dead. The music starts to pick up as a muted trumpet starts creating a heated tension. The brass solo feels like a lamenting general looking out over the field. Perhaps the battle didn't turn out the way they planed, or perhaps there's a momentary pause in the battle and he's planning for the next round. Honestly, it's a great brass solo, very emotive. Soon after the solo the music transitions into this wild, swinging party. Whoever was the victor in this conflict is having a wild party to celebrate and the music suggests it's starting to get out of control. Out of the chaos, a lone saxophone pierces the crazy wildness, and tension begins to ramp up as the saxophone starts wildly screaming. Perhaps a scout has brought a troubling warning back to the camp, or something else is not going well. A group of men chats in the background as this track winds down to a close. As the song finishes you can almost see the curtain closing as this motion picture draws to a close.
- "The Ending To The First Side": I find it curious that a track would announce that it's the last track on an LP, however, it does a great job creating a recap of everything that has happened on the first half of this record. It is surprising to me how cinematic this album feels in its presentation.
- "Song for Ché": Right out of the gate there is a Mingus vibe to this song. The sound is a mix of nostalgia and a cinematic documentary about a political figure's childhood. Haden achieves a melodic sound on the double bass, which I thoroughly appreciate. It's almost lyrical, even before voices join the mix. Flutes also join in after the singers fade away, and a wild saxophone solo joins after the flutes. It feels wild and manic-like previous tracks too. At times a television or radio journalist vibe comes to mind when the saxophone plays.
- "War Orphans": This is a cover of an Ornette Coleman song. The intro is so delicate in its performance. It's a dark sounding track, which matches the vision the title evokes. The bass joins in with a sinister sound, creating the feeling of something prowling around the darkness when compared to the fragility of the piano. Nothing jumps to mind in my imagination for this track, but it fills me with this strange peaceful tension, which feels weird to say and even weirder to experience. This band loves to end their tracks with a large swell of tension, which I find oddly interesting.
- "The Interlude (Drinking Music)": This track feels like a classic jazz piece, definitely the most traditional piece on the album this far. I get this picture of a swanky politician drinking and schmoozing over war updates, not showing any care for those in danger or slain in battle. The tempo increases and decreases in this weird tilting way, probably to create the feeling of being drunk.
- "Circus '68 '69": This song starts with a cool bass solo, Haden plays with clear intent and meaning. It feels cold and matter of fact. Soon the room fills with all sorts of wild calls from the brass section, it feels like the bass is the voice of reason because it just keeps plodding away under all of this wild sound. The general feeling I'm getting is people are getting too caught up in their own small personal needs and not seeing the large impacts of what's going on. Soon police whistles are screaming as this church organ starts swelling up from the back of the mix, almost like a holy man trying to calm the people. Or, perhaps it's the powers-that-be looking down in disappointment. This song sounds like an argument, and it captures that feeling perfectly. The song closes out with the same bass melody it started on, but with the band accompanying. It all goes quiet and the bass cuts the silence and continues plodding on. This was an amazing track.
- "We Shall Overcome": This song was harmonious. The band plays with a wonderful harmony, and it feels like a goodbye telling you it's all going to be okay. A great ending to an album.
Overall Thoughts: Lester Bangs, of Rolling Stone magazine, captured my feelings exactly "an extremely tight, moving, substantial record" (Rolling Stone, February 21, 1970), with a huge nod to substantial. There's a lot of material here to chew on and this record is worth several listens because of it.
Info: This album was released in January 1970 through the Impulse! label. It was produced by Charlie Haden and recorded in Judson Hall, New York City. It features Perry Robinson on clarinet, Gato Barbieri on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Dewey Redman on alto saxophone and tenor saxophone, Don Cherry on cornet, flute, Indian wood and bamboo flutes, Michael Mantler on trumpet, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Bob Northern on french horn, hand-wood blocks, crow calls, bells, and military whistle, Howard Johnson on tuba, Sam Brown on guitar, Tanganyikan guitar, thumb piano, Clara Bley on piano and tambourine, Charlie Haden on bass, Paul Motian on drums and percussions, and Andrew Cyrille on drums and percussion.
Listen to the album here, and you can purchase the album here.
Listen to the album here, and you can purchase the album here.
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