THE NEW LIBERATION MUSIC
July 7, 2009 – 4:12 amCHARLIE HADEN R.I.P. 1937-2014
Charlie Haden, a legendary jazz bassist and original member of the Ornette Coleman Quartet, died on Friday (July 11, 2014) after a prolonged battle with an undisclosed illness, according to his label, ECM. He was 76. Born in Shenandoah, Iowa in 1937 and raised on a farm, Haden helped to revolutionize double bass playing in jazz music as a member of saxophonist Coleman’s free jazz quartet in the late 1950s. A bout with polio at 15 damaged nerves in Haden’s vocal cords and ended his singing career, but he continued to play the bass. Haden also collaborated with artists like John Coltrane, Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane, Billy Higgins, Chet Baker and Pat Metheny, among many others. In 1967, Haden joined pianist Keith Jarrett’s ensemble, becoming a key member of the troupe before forming the band Old and New Dreams with Cherry. Haden also founded the Liberation Music Orchestra in 1969 with composer Carla Bley, which blended experimental jazz with political activism.
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It used to be that governments were overthrown through revolutions. But not so since the Berlin Wall’s collapse. These days Stalin’s words ring true. It’s not the voters that count but who counts the votes that determine the winners. Of course, Mao’s still correct. Power still comes from the barrel of a gun.
Click on the panels for a better view or to download artwork.
NEW LIBERATION MUSIC ORCHESTRA
(with Charlie Haden and Carla Bley)
Umbria Jazz Festival 2004 [no label, 2CD]
Live at Teatro Morlacchi, Perugia, Italy, July 12, 2004. This is an FM stereo broadcast on October 4, 2005 on RAI Radio 3.
To be called “left wing” these days is to be called a terrorist-lover. The days of “changing the world” are long gone. Sixty-somethings have to worry about aching backs, balding pates and vegan diets. While the younger generation is no generation X,Y or Z but generation super consumer. What would they know about the “left”? It’s a directional sign, dude.
So it’s still left to some old musicians to carry the banner. As Haden and Bley do on the cover of their Not In Our Name album. This recording predates the release of the Verve album by a year. The U.S. had invaded Iraq, The New Liberation Music Orchestra was not having any of that. They trekked all over Europe in 2004, while finding the time to record Not In Our Name, and played “leftist” music.
The live recording here captures the band testing the new material. It’s the complete Not In Our Name album live. The playing is not restive or aggressive but rather passive and reflective. Previous Liberation Orchestra albums have been thundering marches of music that said something about the Spanish Civil War or the tumult in Central America.
But since Haden is thinking about America his country, he has made the music thought-provoking yet familiar. There’s a cover of Amazing Grace and an America The Beautiful medley that includes some unlikely tunes (Lift Every Voice And Sing, Skies Over America). Also included is a reading of Dvorak’s Going Home, a homage to the immigrant American. Bley’s use of French horn, trombone and tuba give the pieces the variety to say their messages. That the unfamiliar is now the familiar. The immigrants are the Americans.
The set closes with two encores. The first is the old anti-war theme, Samuel Barber’s Adagio, used to great effect in Oliver Stone’s Platoon. Finally, they play Ornette’s Turnaround, slipping quietly into the night.
So when are the police going to arrest these obvious “Marxist conspirators”? Come to $ingapore and find out. We’ve got scores of “terrorists” locked up indefinitely, with no chance for a public trial. None have called for their release. $ingaporeans are busy enjoying their freedom to shop and travel.
- The Savage Hippo 
Note: Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (sample rate of 192 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
Disc 1 (54:27m)
Track 101. Not In Our Name* (Charlie Haden) 7:33m
Track 102. Amazing Grace* 8:42m
Track 103. This Is Not America* (Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, David Bowie) 9:28m
Track 104. Blue Anthem* (Carla Bley) 9:18m
Track 105. America The Beautiful* medley 19:22m
(includes Lift Every Voice and Sing, Skies Of America)
Disc 2 (49:16m)
Track 201. Going Home (from Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9) 9:39m
Track 202. Throughout* (Bill Frisell) 11:51m
Track 203. Band intros 1:08m
Encores
Track 204. Adagio* (Samuel Barber) 12:02m
Track 205. Turnaround (Ornette Coleman) 14:02m
* The entire Not In Our Name 2005 album played live.
Lineup:
Charlie Haden - bass
Carla Bley - piano, arranger, conductor
Chris Cheek - tenor sax
Tony Malaby - tenor sax
Miguel Zenon - alto sax
Michael Rodriguez - trumpet
Seneca Black - trumpet
Curtis Fowlkes - trombone
Ahnee Sharon Freeman - French horn
Joe Daley - tuba
Steve Cardenas -guitar
Matt Wilson - drums
By 2004, Haden was seriously questioning America’s role in the world. The cover of the band holding up a protest banner showed his intent. Hear the studio versions and click on the link to order Not In Our Name.
13 Responses to “THE NEW LIBERATION MUSIC”
thanks, bigo! i got the berlin haden show last week and liked it so i just got disc 1 now. vincent chancey is on berlin and isn’t listened on the artwork so he might be on here too. he played with sun ra and mary halvorson. if you see sun ra-sleeping beauty, get it. vc is on it. will play walking this morning.
thanks,
ed
By Ed Saad on Jul 7, 2009
Wow, simply marvelous! Absolutely not my kind of music, but it was just a great pleasure being able to download this. Some tracks I played three times one after the other, perhaps because it was so what of new to me.
Congratulations, mainly to the bigozine-site itself, as for the possibility to find this amazing recording!!!
By Datty on Jul 7, 2009
Great - I saw the London show with Robert Wyatt - everything to do with this band is awesome
By Brian on Jul 8, 2009
thanks, bigo! i got disc 2. will play walking this morning.
if there’s a better copy than what i have of zeppelin-mobile, al 5-73, please post. i have it on two cdr’s. it’s skips, and, it has a lot of tape hiss.
i still need to get spontaneous music ensemble.
best,
ed
By Ed Saad on Jul 8, 2009
Thank you again. There are too few recordings of NLMO.
By elmore on Jul 25, 2009
The old Liberation Music Orchestra was a great band with very famous musicans.In the new orchestra are not so big names but the quality of the music is the same - very,very good.
Great musig a very clear sound absolutly perfect.
Thanks !!!!!!
By Joe "The Catman" on Jul 27, 2009
I’m sorry to hear of his death. Even though I’m not in tune with his politics, this is a great loss to the musical world. Rest in peace, Sir.
By MrBill on Jul 12, 2014
Please explain again for us Computer Dopes how to visit the html page to download the track)!!!!
By Steve Yeaton on Jul 12, 2014
Thanks for this interesting post Big O!
By peter on Jul 12, 2014
That “hmtl” wants my Facebook password? Like hacking and wide world of viruses??
By Kimberly on Jul 12, 2014
Thanks so much for this post (and others) ! The two concerts I heard in France in 2005-06 were great but I could not manage to tape them unfortunately.
Am I doing something wrong or is the link for Track 201 corrupted ?
By Larry on Jul 24, 2015
some files can not be downloaded - error
can you fix this
i am interested in concerts of Liberation Orchestra
Thanx
By J.B. van der Sluis on Nov 12, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8_jST51J0c&t=5302s
By Franz Koba on Dec 12, 2022