Charlie Haden Quartet West / Israel Festival / Jerusalem 1995 / 2nd Set

The Summer 1995 Charlie Haden Quartet West appearance at Israel Festival in Jerusalem was an important stop on their world tour in support of Always Say Goodbye, released by Verve in March 1994. The first set included songs from their debut 1987 album, 1988’s In Angel City, and 1992’s Haunted Heart. The second set, presented here, features tunes from Always Say Goodbye and Haunted Heart. The encore’s a beautiful version of “Body And Soul”, much different than the take from their 1987 self-titled release.Charlie formed Quartet West after permanently moving to the West Coast. Saxophonist Ernie Watts, a longtime member of the Johnny Carson Tonight Show band, and pianist Alan Broadbent, an in-demand arranger, joined at the group’s beginning in 1986. Former Ornette Coleman bandmate, drummer Billy Higgins, played on the first album. He was replaced by Larance Marable, another fellow Los Angelean who had performed with Charlie’s 1950s-era heroes, Dexter Gordon, Hampton Hawes, Chet Baker.Partial transcript of Charlie Haden’s end-of-2nd-set speech to audience:“It’s really a great feeling for me and I know for everybody in the band to come to Israel. I’ve never been here before. I don’t think Alan and Ernie and Larance have been here before. For my wife Ruth and I, it’s been an unbelievable experience. Almost too difficult to put into words. It’s really a feeling of sacredness. Of being together, and a very deep feeling of creativity, that I feel here, that’s something else, man.”Charlie Haden Quartet WestIsrael FestivalJerusalem, IsraelMay or June 1995Second Set1. Relaxin’ At Camarillo (Charlie Parker)2. Always Say Goodbye (Charlie Haden)3. The Long Goodbye (Alan Broadbent)4. Segment (Charlie Parker)[Encore] 5. Body And Soul (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton)Charlie Haden - bassAlan Broadbent - pianoErnie Watts - saxophoneLarance Marable - drumsRecorded by the Israel Broadcasting Authority. Additional editing by Josh Haden 2023.In this substack podcast I listen to albums from the record collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. That address is joshhaden.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshhaden.substack.com/subscribe