Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall 20/06/09

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Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall 20/06/09

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 14:01

The guy sitting next to me said this was the fourth concert in the Ornette Coleman-curated Meltdown festival he'd been to. Apparently, having bought all his tickets at the same time, and having already seen Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, and Ornette himself, this was the closest he'd been to the stage. 'I guess this was the least popular of the four', he surmised. Now, living on the South Coast, and also on a budget, I am forced to be quite circumspect when it comes to concert trips up to London, but for me at least, when the Meltdown roster was announced, this concert above all the others, was the real stand-out show. Sure, I'd have loved to have seen Ornette as well, but that would have meant pushing the boat out just a little too far and much as I admire him, the thought of three of my musical heroes Charlie Haden, Carla Bley, and Robert Wyatt all on stage together, meant there was simply no competition (sorry Ornette).

But first there was the support to get through, and no lightweight unknowns either. The Bad Plus has benefitted greatly from the renaissance, or rather 'reinvention' of the Piano Trio format led by the late Esbjorn Svensson [hard to believe it's one year this month since his untimely death]. Attracted by the hype, I'd purchased their 'Suspicious Activity' album but had found myself disappointingly underwhelmed by it; and, after sitting through their brief set on this occasion, I found myself similarly ambivalent. Perhaps it's just that they seem to be trying too hard to be different and quirky. The opening piece, a transcription of Stravinsky's 'Apollo' was a case in point. Whereas some of the composer's output does lend itself to a jazz setting (his Ebony Concerto was actually commissioned by Woody Herman), I'm not sure whether I could say the same about his neoclassical ballet score. Ethan Iverson is a fine pianist, but I found myself being irritated to the extreme by drummer Dave King's determination to hit, tap and stroke every part of his kit, for little real effect other than to look clever (a tip for you Dave: watch Han Bennick). It did get better. A Ligeti transcription worked well and the closing tune, 'Giant' by bass player Reid Anderson was easily the highlight, underpinned by its composer's insistent yet simple bass line. It even prompted me to search out the group's latest release 'Prog', on which it features. Perhaps if they stick to this stuff and stop trying so hard to be different they may have more success, at least to these ears.

And so to Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra. As Charlie announced at the beginning of the set, each of the Orchestra's four albums has been released under a Republican President: Nixon, Reagan, and Bush and Son; but just because Obama had been elected, it wasn't time to retire!

It was perhaps a little disappointing that this wasn't the regular Orchestra on the stage. Present were Tony Malaby (tenor), Michael Rodriguez (trumpet) and Matt Wilson (drums); and of course the wonderful Carla Bley (now 73 but still tall, imposing, and elegant if almost skeletal) on piano. Looking at her portrait on 'Tropic Appetites' and 'Escalator Over The Hill' it's no wonder she made so many men weak at the knees (jazz musicians especially!). Making up the rest of the band was a British contingent, many of whom I'm embarrassed to admit were unfamiliar, although I did spot John Paricelli (guitar) and Fayyaz Virgi (trombone). The first four numbers mirrored the opening sequence of the most recent Not In Our Name album. Now 71, Haden was moving a little stiffly but his playing and wit was as nimble as ever; whilst Bley's arrangements, directed by her from the piano stool were predictably sublime. However, perhaps due to unfamiliarity and lack of rehearsal, the soloing on the eponymous title tune was a little lacklustre. Things soon picked up however, with a reggae-tinged rendition of Pat Metheny¹s 'This Is Not America'; Bley¹s own 'Blue Anthem'; and a fine Paricelli solo on a bluesy 'Amazing Grace'.

The band was then joined on stage by Robert Wyatt, rapidly becoming a National Treasure (well, at least to some). In addition to his distinctive vocal, he also added some trumpet of his own to Haden's 'Song for Che', before departing the stage. It would have been nice to see and hear more of him, but this was Haden's gig after all. A lovely rendition of 'Going Home' followed, otherwise known as the Largo from Dvorak's 9th ('New World') Symphony (or to the non-classically-inclined, the Hovis TV advert). Written by the composer while living in America, it was of course, entirely appropriate.

After that highlight, confusion appeared to intervene on stage. Haden evidently had a 'surprise' planned, but 'he' hadn't arrived yet, and might either still be in his hotel room or en route. Clearly 'he' was Ornette. There then ensued a period of rifling through scores trying to find 'We Shall Overcome', during with Charlie entertained the audience with some stand-up comedy. Perhaps not surprisingly, when the scores were found, it seemed like a very impromptu performance, and some solos were better than others; similarly with Ornette's 'Skies Over America' which closed the set. It was as if Haden had been thrown a curve-ball by the curator's no-show and was doing his best under the circumstances.

At the end Haden said that he had hoped to have been able to play with Ornette, but that someone 'Clearly didn't want that to happen'. However, he was able to do the next best thing, and it was a poignant moment when a frail, and almost overwhelmed-looking Coleman came on stage for a warm embrace between the two men. Now 79, Ornette had had a busy festival, and probably wasn't up to playing any more, even if he wanted to. But for a man whose music was once ridiculed, he must have felt proud hear a packed Festival Hall give him the ovation he deserves as one of the true mavericks and innovators in jazz history.

There were no encores, but it was an appropriate moment to stop. The guy sitting next to me said it was the best of the four concerts he'd attended. I wasn't about to disagree with him.

David Bauckham

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