Josh Haden's Mémoire Podcast

In Box 77 of the Charlie Haden archive is a CD-R labeled “Roadhouse Instrumental Mixes”. The sound files on the disc are instrumental versions of tracks found on Charlie’s wife Ruth Cameron’s CD entitled Roadhouse (2000, Universal Jazz France). The pieces appearing in this podcast episode include:* “Comedy Thief”, written by Josh Haden* “Segment” (Charlie Parker), recorded live by Charlie Haden Quartet West, 22 August 1993, DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA. Charlie Haden, bass; Alan Broadbent, piano; Joshua Redman, saxophone; Larance Marable, drums.* Four tracks from “Roadhouse Instrumental Mixes”. Recorded in 1999. Original versions can be found on Ruth Cameron, Roadhouse (2000, Universal Jazz France). Produced by Charlie Haden and Ruth Cameron. * “Something Cool” (Bill Barnes)* “One For My Baby” (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer)* “My Old Flame” (Arthur Johnstone, Sam Coslow)* “Body and Soul” (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton)Tracks a—c: Charlie Haden, bass; Alan Broadbent, piano; Ralph Moore, saxophone; Larance Marable, drums. Track d: Charlie Haden, bass; Brad Mehldau, piano; Larance Marable, drums.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words, sounds, & images © 2026 by Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

In Box 77 of the Charlie Haden Archive is a CD-R titled “Charlie Haden and Ruth Cameron visit WRUW-FM”. The material on the CD-R consists of an interview between Charlie and Down By The Cuyahoga host Jim Szabo. Ruth Cameron can also be heard. The live broadcast took place on April 23rd, 2010 on WRUW-FM, Cleveland, Ohio. They were promoting an upcoming Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra performance. The pieces appearing in this podcast episode include:* “The Arraignment”, by Josh Haden* “We Shall Overcome” by the Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra. Recorded 26 April 2009, Melbourne International Jazz Festival.* Charlie Haden interviewed by Jim Szabo. Down By The Cuyahoga. WRUW-FM, Cleveland, Ohio. Broadcast live on 23 April 2010.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words, sounds, & images © 2026 by Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

In Box 77 of the Charlie Haden Archive is an undated CD-R titled “Charlie Haden Cassette”. The material features Charlie playing bass in duo with a pianist. Charlie’s wife, Ruth Cameron, calls out song titles. There is an additional unidentified female voice. The pianist is also unidentified. The recording may have been made in preparation for Ruth Cameron’s debut solo album, First Songs, released in 1998, but I’m not sure. This performance contains songs Charlie never recorded before or after. I couldn’t identify one of the songs.The pieces appearing in this podcast episode include:* “Homer’s Odyssey”, by Josh Haden* “Zig Zag” (Ornette Coleman). From the 1966 Ornette Coleman album The Empty Foxhole. Ornette Coleman: saxophone. Charlie Haden: bass. Denardo Coleman: drums.* “Charlie Haden Cassette”. Cassette recording. Undated. No location listed. Charlie Haden: Bass. Pianist not listed. Tracks: 1. In The Still Of The Night (Cole Porter) 2. Little White Lies (Walter Donaldson) 3. The Night We Called It A Day (Matt Dennis, Tom Adair) 4. The Man I Love (George & Ira Gershwin) 5. I Hear A Rhapsody (George Fragos, Jack Baker, Dick Gasparre) 6. Lost April ( Emil Newman, Herbert W. Spencer, Eddie DeLange) 7. Close Your Eyes (Bernice Petkere) 8. The Man I Love (George & Ira Gershwin) 9. Let’s Call It A Day (Lee Wiley) 10. Untitled 11. My Dream Is Yours (Harry Warren, Ralph Blaine) 12. I Wish I Knew (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) 13. As Long As There’s Music (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn)In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words, sounds, & images © 2026 by Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Opening song: “A Love Like This” (Ned Washington, Victor Young), from Charlie Haden Quartet West’s Sophisticated Ladies (2010, Universal France).Today’s Great Reading in History©: Plato, from The Republic (375 B.C.; Critical Theory Since Plato, Revised Edition, ed. Hazard Adams, 1992. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc).It is Sunday, August 2nd, 2026. Despite making threats and promises, President Trump has not bombed Iran for the past seven days. The average U.S. gas price has been stable at $4.10 per gallon. In other news, The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Fox television host Jeanine Pirro, dropped Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism charges against 67 year old David Hearn, admitting to a judge that President Trump’s accusations against the former Olympian were lies. I normally use this forum to post interesting audio discoveries from my father, jazz bassist Charlie Haden’s, archives. I’ve been sorting through what has become box 78. It’s a large translucent plastic storage container with a white lid. Most of the material is sheet music, both commercial, mostly classical music, and original music written my Charlie and others. There are also a lot of knickknacks including an LG Verizon flip phone, a 2008 “Cellboost” phone battery charger still in original packaging, a full container of OraLabs Ice Drops, an all access backstage pass for Neil Young + Promise of the Real Rebel Content Tour 2015, an address book, empty wallets, a pair of sunglasses, business cards, and Charlie’s expired U.S. passport from 1983. One of the music sheets led me to a performance I was never aware of before now. On June 18, 1978, Ornette Coleman and his son Denardo performed the song “Earth Souls” on stage at President Jimmy Carter’s White House Jazz Festival, which took place on the South Lawn of the White House, with the president and first lady in attendance. Can the podcast listener imagine anything like that happening under President Trump? Let’s imagine the President Trump Jazz Festival. Who would play at it? Kid Rock, Vanilla Ice, and a guy who sits on a toilet posting to YouTube. Jimmy Carter invited Ornette Coleman, Max Roach, John Lewis, and McCoy Tyner, and they all accepted.Ornette Coleman and Denardo ColemanWashington, D.C.White House Jazz Festival18 June 1978Ornette Coleman: SaxophoneDenardo Coleman: DrumsTrack listing:* Introduction by President Jimmy Carter* Earth Souls* MetaRecorded for Jazz Alive, hosted by Billy TaylorBroadcast on WAMU-FM, Washington D.C.The entire program can be found here (YouTube).In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words & images © 2026 by Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Opening song: '“Focus On Sanity”, from Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz To Come (1959, Atlantic).Today’s Great Reading in History©: Richard Hofstadter, from Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (1963; 2020 Library of America edition).It is Sunday, July 26th, 2026. After bombing Iran for 13 straight days, U.S. gas pump prices rose almost 4%. The average price of fuel is $4.11 per gallon as of today, up from the $4.10 average on Friday. It has been two days since U.S. President Trump has bombed Iran. The Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra’s performance in Marciac, France, on August 5, 2004 included material they had recently recorded for the album Not In Our Name. The album was a response to the policies of then president George W. Bush, especially the Iraq War. It was recorded for Radio France and was discovered in two parts, on two separate CD-R discs, in the archive of Charlie Haden. I present part two. Thanks for listening.Charlie Haden Liberation Music OrchestraMarciac, FranceJazz In Marciac Festival5 August 2004Disc Two of TwoCharlie Haden: BassCarla Bley: Piano, ArrangementsTony Malaby: SaxophoneChris Cheek: SaxophoneMiguel Zenón: SaxophoneSeneca Black: TrumpetMichael Rodriguez: TrumpetAhnee Sharon Freeman: French HornCurtis Fowlkes: TromboneJoe Daley: TubaSteve Cardenas: GuitarMatt Wilson: DrumsTrack listing:* Adagio For Strings (Samuel Barber)* We Shall Overcome (Traditional)Recorded by Radio FranceIn this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words & images © 2026 by Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Opening song: Song For Che, from Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra (1970).It is Sunday, July 19, 2026. U.S. President Trump has bombed Iran for the eighth straight day in a war that was started for no logical reason. The Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra was formed in 1969 as an artistic rebuttal to then U.S. President Nixon’s war against Vietnam, a war, much like the current one, started for dubious reasons and ending in death, destruction, and no answers or solutions, other than monetary gain for the top 1% of the world. If my father had lived to see Donald Trump’s presidency he would have no doubt felt compelled to release another Orchestra album. We only have his past works to speak for him, 1970’s Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, 1983’s The Ballad Of The Fallen, put out during the Ronald Reagan presidency, 1990’s Dream Keeper, during the George H.W. Bush regime, and 2005’s Not in Our Name, during the administration of George W. Bush. 2016’s Time/Life included elements he had been developing with his long time arranger Carla Bley, and was posthumously released as a foreshadow to Trump’s presidency.The Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra’s performance in Marciac, France, on August 5, 2004 included material they had recently recorded for Not In Our Name. It was recorded for Radio France and was discovered in two parts, on two separate CD-R discs, in the archive of Charlie Haden. Thanks for listening.Charlie Haden Liberation Music OrchestraMarciac, FranceJazz In Marciac Festival5 August 2004Disc One of TwoCharlie Haden: BassCarla Bley: Piano, ArrangementsTony Malaby: SaxophoneChris Cheek: SaxophoneMiguel Zenón: SaxophoneSeneca Black: TrumpetMichael Rodriguez: TrumpetAhnee Sharon Freeman: French HornCurtis Fowlkes: TromboneJoe Daley: TubaSteve Cardenas: GuitarMatt Wilson: DrumsTrack listing:* Not In Our Name (Charlie Haden)* This Is Not America (Pat Metheny)* Blue Anthem (Carla Bley)* America The Beautiful (Public Domain)* Amazing Grace (Public Domain)* Goin’ Home (Antonín Leopold Dvořák)* Throughout (Bill Frisell)Recorded by Radio FranceIn this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words & images © 2026 by Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Bassist Charlie Haden and manager & wife Ruth Cameron spoke to Finnish Radio Broadcasting’s jazz host Markku Salo by telephone, from their Malibu home. The air date was 23 April 2001.“I’m not working right now because my wife and I were attacked by a Rottweiler dog,” says Charlie, a fresh cup of coffee beside him. Mr. Salo explains to his listeners, in Finnish, that Charlie and Ruth were walking their dog seven weeks earlier when a Rottweiler attacked them. Charlie had to go to the hospital. He’s recovering with a dog bite to the hand. Charlie said to me, at the time: He and Ruth were walking Jackson at twilight. They saw a man and woman with a big dog walking towards them. The bigger dog pounced on Jackson. Charlie and Ruth tried to pry it away. The canine turned on Charlie. I can’t remember if it was Ruth or Charlie who jumped up onto the roof of a nearby parked car to escape.Everyone, including Jackson, survived. Charlie and Ruth initiated legal action against the dog owners. They settled out of court. The dog owners moved out of the neighborhood. Charlie and Ruth used the money to purchase a house in Westlake Village, over the hill from Malibu.Charlie and Mr. Salo switch to different topics. Charlie begins to speak. Mr. Salo overdubs his Finnish language version: the recently released Charlie Haden Quartet West CD The Art Of The Song, made with vocalists Bill Henderson and Shirley Horn: Charlie prefers the band, vocalist, and string orchestra to be in the same room recording simultaneously, despite the extra expense. The musicians inspire and play off each other, in ways separation and overdubs won’t allow. The result is a product more authentic to the compositions themselves.Charlie talks about Ken Burns’ recently aired multi-part TV documentary Jazz. He talks about Cole Porter and Ravel. He talks about the origins of Quartet West. How he uses the project to bring back songs he loved listening to as a youngster, and to “record” with musicians he was never able to play with, like saxophonist Charlie Parker and vocalist Jo Stafford. He wants to help save classic tunes from being lost to time. He recounts telling Jo Stafford’s husband, legendary bandleader Paul Weston, “What wonderful recordings you made back then. Something magical must have happened in the studio because the interpretations are so deep and beautiful.” To which Mr. Weston replied, “Charlie, to tell you the truth, I don’t even remember. It was just another ordinary workday.”Charlie talks about his 1970 Liberation Music Orchestra album. Songs of the Spanish Civil War. Improvising to the music of the Spanish Republican Army. He says that the recent election of President George W. Bush would neccessitate a new Liberation Music Orchestra album. He talks about his upcoming CD of Cuban music, Nocturne, which would win a Grammy. Charlie says he isn’t upset with any current trends in jazz. “I’m not upset about anything as long as I can play.”I am rather concerned that more people should be brought into contact with deeper art and its deeper values ​​so that our society would become a more sensitive, humble and profound people, where life and beauty are valued. I think our society seems to be going in the exact opposite direction. Music is becoming more and more commercialized all the time. I think today, in my parents’ singing group, it was real back then.Because every time I play quarter notes with a message, we play a million hits from the 1940s. From Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey to The Pipers and Friends to Sinatra to Jo Stafford to King Cole Trio to Fletcher Henderson, and each of those in common and in their distribution sold millions of records and played to thousands of listeners in their concerts. I’m worried that we’re losing art and its values.*They talk about Charlie Haden Quartet West’s upcoming Finnish concert. Charlie loves Finland. The people are warm. The Finns like beauty and jazz and have always treated him well. The rest of the cassette contains a dub of Cuban guitarist, singer, and revolutionary songwriter Carlos Puebla’s 1976 album Soy Del Pueblo, recorded in Finland.Charlie Haden and Ruth Cameron interviewed by Markku Salo. Finnish Radio Broadcasting Co.First air date: 23 April 2001Recorded to cassette.Broadcast contains excerpts of songs from:Ruth Cameron: “Detour Ahead” (Herb Ellis, John Frigo, Lou Carter) Roadhouse (2000, Verve)Charlie Haden Quartet West (with Bill Henderson, vocalist): “Why Did I Choose You” (Herbert Martin, Michael Leonard) The Art Of The Song (1999, Verve)Charlie Haden Quartet West (with Jo Stafford vocal sample): “Alone Together” (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) Always Say Goodbye (1994, Verve)Charlie Haden: “Nightfall” (Charlie Haden) Nocturne (2001, Verve)Cassette from the collection of Charlie HadenYou are reading Josh Haden’s Mémoire on Substack, a memoir about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. Please consider subscribing. You’ll be supporting my writing and preservation of the Charlie Haden Estate.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out select Charlie Haden Estate items from my eBay store.All words & images © 2026 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

The complete recording of Duke Ellington Orchestra’s 7 November 1940 concert at the Crystal Ballroom in Fargo, North Dakota continues on disc two. The music was recorded to acetate by two forward-thinking jazz fans, Jack Towers and Dick Buriss. Exactly 30 days later Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entered WW2. Duke helped sell war bonds and recorded Black, Brown, and Beige. Almost 24 years later Charles Mingus released Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus, produced by Bob Thiele. Gulf Of Tonkin escalated U.S. involement in Vietnam. Charlie put out Liberation Music Orchestra, also produced by Bob Thiele, six years after that. U.S. continued to bomb Vietnam and Cambodia. Disc one is here. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. Josh Haden’s Memoire is about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out my eBay store.Duke Ellington at Fargo, Live 1940 (complete)Crystal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota7 November 1940Recorded by Jack Towers and Dick BurnsWallace Jones & Rex Stewart, trumpetsRay Nance, trumpet, violin, vocalTricky Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, trombonesBarney Bigard, clarinet, tenor saxJohnny Hodges, alto saxOtto Hardwick, alto sax, clarinetBen Webster, tenor saxHarry Carney, baritone sax, clarinetDuke Ellington, pianoFred Guy, guitar, whistleJimmy Blanton, bassSonny Greer, drumsIvie Anderson & Herb Jeffries, vocalDisc two track listing:* Slap Happy (E. Ellington)* Sepia Panorama (E. Ellington)* Boy Meets Horn (E. Ellington, I. Mills, R Stewart)* Way Down Yonder In New Orleans (H. Creamer, T. Layton)* Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday (E. Ellington)* The Five O’Clock Whistle (K. Gannon, W. Irwin, J. Myrow)* Fanfare (E. Ellington)* Rockin’ In Rhythm (E. Ellington, T. Mills, H. Carney)* Sophisticated Lady (E. Ellington, T. Mills, H. Parish)* Cotton Tail (incomplete) (E. Ellington)* Whispering Grass (D. & F. Fisher)* Conga Brava (E. Ellington, J. Tizol)* I Never Felt This Way Before (A Dubin, E. Ellington)* (chaser)* Across The Track Blues (E. Ellington)* Honeysuckle Rose (A. Razaf, T. Waller)* Wham! (E. Durham, J.T. Miller)* Star Dust (H. Carmichael, M. Parish)* Rose Of The Rio Grande (E. Leslie, H. Warren)* St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy)* Warm Valley (E. Ellington)* God Bless America (I. Berlin)* Herb Jeffries attempts The Call Of The Canyon (W.J. Hill); chaser; All This And Heaven Too (E.D. Lange, J.V. Heusen)All words & images © 2025 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

IN MY MIND, the link to Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra (1970) is Charles Mingus’ 1964 LP Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus. But it starts with this recording, distributed as a bootleg until an “official” release in 1978. The Duke Ellington Orchestra live in concert at the Crystal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota, 7 November 1940. Specifically their versions of “Mood Indigo”, almost midway through this set, and the 30 second rendition of “God Bless America”, appearing at the end of disc 2, which I’ll post next week. Charlie owned at least two versions of the “commercial” release: the U.K. “Volume 1” vinyl, and the 1995 Japanese 2X CD, which I post here. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. Josh Haden’s Memoire is about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out Charlie’s record collection.Check out my eBay store.Duke Ellington at Fargo, Live 1940 (complete)Crystal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota7 November 1940Recorded by Jack Towers and Dick BurnsWallace Jones & Rex Stewart, trumpetsRay Nance, trumpet, violin, vocalTricky Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, trombonesBarney Bigard, clarinet, tenor saxJohnny Hodges, alto saxOtto Hardwick, alto sax, clarinetBen Webster, tenor saxHarry Carney, baritone sax, clarinetDuke Ellington, pianoFred Guy, guitar, whistleJimmy Blanton, bassSonny Greer, drumsIvie Anderson & Herb Jeffries, vocalTrack listing:* It’s Glory (partial) (E. Ellington)* The Mooche (E. Ellington, I. Mills)* The Sheik Of Araby (H. Smith, T. Snyder)* Sepia Panorama (E. Ellington)* Ko-Ko (E. Ellington)* There Shall Be No Night (G. Shelley, A. Silver)* Pussy Willow (E. Ellington)* Chatterbox (E. Ellington)* Mood Indigo (B. Bigard, E. Ellington, I Mills)* Harlem Airshaft (E. Ellington)* Ferryboat Serenade (M. Panzeri, E. Lazzaro, H. Arlen)* Warm Valley (and chaser) (E. Ellington)* Stompy Jones (E. Ellington)* Chole (including interruption) (C. Daniels, G. Kahn)* Bojangles (E. Ellington)* On The Air (E. Ellington)* Rumpus In Richmond (E. Ellington)* (chaser)* The Sidewalks Of New York (including interruption) (public domain)* The Flaming Sword (E. Ellington)* Never No Lament (E. Ellington)* Caravan (including interruption) (E. Ellington, I. Mills, J. Tizol)* Clarinet Lament (B. Bigard, E. Ellington)All words & images © 2025 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Charlie Haden Quartet West’s The Art Of The Song was released in 1999 on Verve France. It was the Quartet’s sixth album and the first to feature contemporary vocalists. Pianist Alan Broadbent’s orchestral arrangement for their version of the song “Lonely Town” won a Grammy award.“The Folks Who Live On The Hill” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1937 Irene Dunn/Randolph Scott western musical film High, Wide and Handsome. I haven’t seen it, but it’s apparently about a group of poor farmers who battle corporate railroad barons for access to oil discovered on the farmers’ land. The Art Of The Song version was sung by Shirley Horn. I found this instrumental mix on a CD-R in my father’s collection. It’s dated 23 February 1999. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. Josh Haden’s Memoire is about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out my eBay store.Charlie Haden Quartet West“The Folks Who Live On The Hill” (Instrumental mix, 1999)from The Art Of The Song (1999, Verve France)Charlie Haden - bassErnie Watts - saxophoneAlan Broadbent - pianoLarance Marable - drumsOrchestra conducted by Murray AdlerAll words & images © 2025 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Charlie was occasionally asked to contribute original cues to TV shows. He reluctantly played electric bass on some commercials in the early 1970s. I never knew that he performed on a Reebok TV ad soundtrack as late as 1993. He met the director by chance on a plane to New York. He recorded the tracks in the director’s hotel room at the Paramount. Composer Owen O’Toole released the songs on an obscure undated CD entitled Belief System: Possible Music For Television, which I found in my father’s collection.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. Josh Haden’s Memoire is about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out my eBay store.Tracks from Belief System: Possible Music For Television“Belief System” (Reebok)Charlie Haden - bassOwen O’Toole - samples and loopsRecorded in Jeff Plankster’s (Paramount) hotel room and Baby Monster Studio NYCMarch 1993* Belt Drive* Walkathon* Trump Wipers* Bed Wedding* Flashes* Xerox Wedding* Sumatra* Xerxes* Deep SunAll words & images © 2025 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

I’ve written about Charlie and Ruth’s friendship with jazz vocalist Jeri Southern. This CD-R includes twelve circa 1950s live tracks. Jeri sings and plays piano, accompanied by small jazz combos. The first six recordings seem to be from the same gig. Several fade out before ending. The venues and backing bands aren’t noted. The collection ends with an announcement of Jeri’s upcoming 29 May 1957 appearance at “the Interlude Room on the Sunset Strip.”In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. Josh Haden’s Memoire is about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Check out my eBay store.“Jeri Southern Live”CD-R from the collection of Charlie HadenJeri Southern - vocals, piano, accompanied by various musicians* The Gypsy In My Soul (Boland, Jaffe)* Let Me Love You (Johnny Hartman)* I'm In Love With The Honorable Mr. So And So (Artie Shaw)* What's My Name (Saxon, Wells)* Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair) (Danzig, Segal) * It's De-Lovely (Cole Porter)* I Hadn't Anyone Till You (Ray Noble)* Blame It On My Youth (Levant, Heyman)* Dancing On The Ceiling (Rodgers, Hart)* Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year (Frank Loesser)* Something I Dreamed Last Night (Sammy Fain)* Announcement All words & images © 2025 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Armando Manzanero is “widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successful composers of Latin America.” A pianist and singer, Mr. Manzanero was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, one year after Charlie received the same honor. This undated compilation CD, released on the historic Mexican label Orfeon, is amongst the thousands of CDs Charlie owned and listened to. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Armando Manzanero y sus amigos15 Exitos (CD, compilation, no date, Orfeon)* Todo Y Nada (Vicente Garrido) / Armando Manzanero* Adoro (Armando Manzanero) / Lucho Gatica* Contigo Aprendi (Armando Manzanero) / María Victoria* Cuando Estoy Contigo (Armando Manzanero) / Hnos. Martinez Gil* Es Que Estoy Pensando En Ti (Armando Manzanero) / Fernando Fernández* Ofrenda (Miguel Prado) / Armando Manzanero* Voy A Apagar La Luz (Armando Manzanero) / Trío Los Montejo* Esta Tarde Vi Llover (Armando Manzanero) / Olga Guillot* No Se Tu (Armando Manzanero) / Trio Los Fantasmas* Parece Que Fue Ayer (Armando Manzanero) / Irma Dorantes* Vete De Mi (Ch. Expósito) / Armando Manzanero* El Ciego (Armando Manzanero) / Angeles Negros* Mi Primer Amor (Armando Manzanero) / César Costa* No (Armando Manzanero) / Héctor González de la Barrera* Te Extraño (Armando Manzanero) / Los Tres AseAll words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

I used to regularly ransack the bargain world music CD bins at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. This was in the mid-2000s, when Amoeba was on Sunset Blvd. at Cahuenga. I based my purchases on names I didn’t recognize and cover art I liked. One of the CDs (I still have all of them) is entitled Midnight Magic - Belly Dance Music, by someone named Dr. Samy Farag. The information says it was released in 1999 on Sphinx Records, Hollywood, CA. A belly dancer, dressed in a glittery green outfit with matching white shawl, poses on the front cover. Multi-colored fireworks explode next to her. Dr. Farag wrote three of the tracks. He produced the entire album. Right at that time I needed to see a doctor about something I was worried about that turned out, like most things, to be nothing. My then-girlfriend, now my wife, wanted me to go to UCLA Medical Center. Lower-rent Hollywood Presbyterian was much closer to our apartment. I went there. I didn’t mind waiting with the local riff-raff, I told her. I found a doctor, made an appointment, and showed up later that day, close to 5pm.The first thing I noticed upon entering the office were numerous framed photos depicting Ancient Egypt. Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, and other landmarks. Stelae, plinths, hieroglyphics. There were more in the examination room. And a photo of Egyptian singer, the immortal legend Umm Kulthum. That was when I looked closely at my appointment sheet. Dr. Samy Farag. Could this be the same Dr. Samy Farag who created the $4.99 belly dance music disc I acquired at Amoeba the previous week?Dr. Farag walked in the room. An older, heavy-set man. A bit slumped over. Dour, as if he didn’t want to be there. He doesn’t want to be here, I thought to myself. Don’t take it personally. He wants to be in the studio making music. Dr. Farag asked me what was wrong. He examined me for about a minute. He shrugged his shoulders, told me it was nothing, like most things in life, and not to worry about it. Then, before I could mention the CD I had bought, he left.I’m not surprised I didn’t say anything. I’m shy around people I admire. I freeze. I wonder what our conversation would have been like. If there’s a moral to this story, one might be, never be reluctant to spend hours rummaging through the bargain world music section at your favorite record store. You never know what kind of magic could happen.Several belly dance CDs, along with this one, can be purchased from Dr. Farag’s Sphinx Records website. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden (although this one’s from my collection). If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Dr. Samy FaragMidnight Magic - Belly Dance Music (CD, 1999, Sphinx Records)Accordian: Ahmed BerjaouiDrums: Amir SofiDrum Solo: Ziad IslambouliGuitar: Samer HawariVocals: Joelle Chamaa, Nadia Salameh, Bilai Hakkani, Ahmed Berjaoui, Samy Farag, Samer HawariArranged, played, recorded by Bilai HakkaniProduced by Dr. Samy FaragOriginal tracks recorded at National Radio Studio #35, Cairo, Egypt.Recorded, mixed, mastered at Sphinx Records Studios, La Canada, CA.* Gawaher (Dr. Samy Farag)* Efred (Isam Tawlik)* Haiati (Rageb Alama)* Bahebak (Dr. Samy Farag)* Taklan (Dr. Samy Farag)* Awwedouni (Amer Tantawi)* Drum Solo (Ziad IslambouliAll words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Bassist Putter Smith is one of Charlie’s oldest friends. They met after Charlie arrived in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Starting in the 1980s, Charlie would call Putter to sub for him at his CalArts teaching gig. He played on Charlie’s 2002 American Dreams CD. Putter spoke at both the L.A. and NYC Charlie memorials.VR & The Café Beaujolais Band’s CD Lost And Found was recorded in 2002. It was released in 2004. It features Putter on bass, guitarist Dave Koonse (father of guitarist Larry Koonse), trumpeter Stacy Rowles (daughter of pianist Jimmy Rowles) and the beautiful vocals of Putter’s wife, Verna Rose. It’s one of several CDs and LPs in Charlie’s collection that feature Putter. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.VR Smith & the Café Beaujolais BandLost And Found (2004)VR Smith - VocalsPutter Smith - BassStacy Rowles - Trumpet, FluegelhornDave Koonse - Guitar* Everything I love (Cole Porter)* I’ll Only Miss Him (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cohn)* Out Of This World (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)* You Are There (Dave Frishberg, Johnny Mandell)* While We’re Young (Bill Engvick, Alec Wilder, Morty Palitz)* Lost And Found (Kent Glenn)* The Man I Love (George & Ira Gershwin)* Heart’s Desire (Dave Frishberg, Alan Broadbent)* The Touch Of Your Lips (Ray Noble)* Gentle Rain (Luis Bonfa)* The Meaning Of The Blues (Bobby Troup)* All Through The Night (Cole Porter)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

In 1985, music visionary Hal Willner produced an star-studded tribute to the composer Kurt Weill. Over two dozen artists from across the tonal spectrum were assembled to create versions of “Mack The Knife”, “Alabama Song”, “September Song”, and others. My father, along with Liberation Music Orchestra member Ahnee Sharon Freeman, recorded “Speak Low”. The resulting album, Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Kurt Weill, was a big success.In 1994, film director Larry Weinstein tapped Willner to produce a kind of music video follow-up to Lost In The Stars. Several of the artists from the album were invited to re-record their tracks and perform them in choreographed dramatic visual skits. Some new artists were added. Nick Cave performed “Mack The Knife. PJ Harvey sang “Ballad Of The Soldier’s Wife”. Elvis Costello played “Lost In The Stars”. My father reprised his version of “Speak Low”, this time with piano and arrangements by Fred Hersch. The final product, September Songs: The Music Of Kurt Weill, aired on PBS’ Great Performances. It was nominated for a 1995 Emmy Award. The soundtrack CD was released in 1997. This unlabeled cassette from “Box Of Important CD’s [sic]” contains two mixes of the September Songs version of “Speak Low”. The one I’m posting here is not on the album. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.comAll words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

There are many unlabeled cassettes in the “Box Of Important CD’s” [sic]. Here’s the audio from one of them. Bass-baritone and American hero Paul Robeson singing “L’amour De Moi”, Royal Albert Hall, London, 1958. Dubbed from Mr. Robeson’s 1970 LP In Live Performance. It’s the only song on the 90 minute tape. In addition to his brilliant musicianship, Paul Robeson was an outspoken political observer and believer in a better world. His actions often got him in trouble with American authorities, especially Joe McCarthy’s witch trial board. The U.S. State Department revoked his passport at one point. The Supreme Court restored it due to a decision, Kent Vs. Dulles, and he was able to travel again. The London concert was the result. Mr. Robeson was much admired by both my father, and by my mother’s side of the family. His music was on rotation since I can remember. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.comAll words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted..Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

In 1997 Ornette was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. National Public Radio devoted a 10-minute piece on the, to them, somewhat incongruous achievement. The handwriting on the cassette label is my father’s. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All Things ConsideredOrnette Coleman profile by Dean Olsher1997 Tracks include:* Free Jazz (excerpt), from The Ornette Coleman Double Quartet, Free Jazz (1961, Atlantic)* Focus On Sanity (excerpt), from Ornette Coleman, The Shape Of Jazz To Come (1959, Atlantic)* Kathelin Gray (excerpt), from unreleased live Ornette Coleman recording* Das Musikalisches Opfer, BWV 1079 (excerpt), from Johann Sebastian Bach, Linde-Consort (1981, Angel)* Miguel's Fortune (excerpt), from Ornette Coleman & Prime Time, Tone Dialing (1995, Harmolodic/Verve)* Just For You (excerpt), from Ornette Coleman, The Shape Of Jazz To Come (1959, Atlantic)* What A Friend We Have In Jesus (Variation) (excerpt), from Ornette Coleman, Sound Museum (1996, Harmolodic/Verve)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Live On Hope Street was a music, culture, and news program that aired on Los Angeles radio station KUSC-FM in 1996. On 14 June of that year, host Bonnie Grice interviewed Charlie and Ruth regarding Quartet West’s Now Is The Hour (1996, Verve). The album was nominated for a Grammy the following year. By the end of 1996, Live On Hope Street was cancelled, KUSC reverted to an all-classical music format, and Ms. Grice moved to a different radio station. I’m posting the relevant audio here. The entire show was 30 minutes. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Live On Hope StreetKUSC-FM Host: Bonnie GriceInterview with Charlie Haden and Ruth CameronIncludes excerpts of the following songs (all from Charlie Haden Quartet West Now Is The Hour (1996, Verve):* Here’s Looking At You (Charlie Haden)* Marable’s Parable (Charlie Haden)* Palo Alto (Lee Konitz)* Now Is The Hour (Adapted By Clement Scott, Dorothy Stewart; Composed By Maewa Kaihau)* The Left Hand Of God (Victor Young)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

In search of better-paying radio opportunities, Carl Sr. moved his family to Omaha, NE. It was 1951. Charlie was 14 years old. They were joined by fellow KWTO alumni fiddler Zed Tennis and pedal steel player Doc Martin, for regular Omaha radio and TV performances, along with occasional concert gigs. These recordings are from 1952, the same year Charlie’s father took him to see Jazz At The Philharmonic featuring Charlie Parker and Lester Young. Also, the same year Charlie contracted bulbar polio. By 1953 the family, along with Zed and Doc, were back in Springfield and radio station KWTO. Each program runs about 10 minutes. I present two of them here. They are contained on two CD-Rs. I have over two hours of this material. To my best recollection, I’ve never heard these tracks before. Carl Sr. is the Master of Ceremonies. Lead vocals by Mary, Jim, and Carl Jr. I’m especially moved by Jim’s beautiful singing voice. It’s unclear to me whether Charlie is present in these particular recordings. He may have been recovering from his bout with polio.The Haden Family with Doc Martin and Zed TennisRadio Show, Omaha, NE., 1952Program 1* Haden Family Theme Song* There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight (Hank Williams) Lead Vocal: Mary* Pins And Needles (Hank Williams) Lead Vocal: Jim* There’ll Be No Storms In Heaven (traditional) Harmonica: Carl Sr. Lead Vocal: Carl Jr.Program 2* Hurry Home To Me (Bernie Wayne, Teddy Powell) Lead Vocals: Carl Jr. and Mary* It Made You Happy (Walter Donaldson) Lead Vocal: Jim* Dark Eyes (traditional) Fiddle Solo: Zed Tennis* Rocky Mountain Express (Charles Tobias, Harry Tobias, Albert Von Tilzer) Lead Vocals: Carl Jr., Jim, MaryDoc Martin: Pedal SteelZed Tennis: FiddleFun facts: “Hurry Home To Me” co-writer Bernie Wayne is the co-composer of the song “Blue Velvet”. Albert Von Tilzer, co-writer of “Rocky Mountain Express”, also co-wrote “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”. “Dark Eyes” is a traditional Russian tune popularized by guitarist Chet Atkins, who was a regular on the Ozark Mountain Jubilee TV program circa 1957. Charlie frequently played bass on the Jubilee before moving to L.A. the same year. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Many of the cassettes in my father’s collection were given to him by other musicians, managers, friends, and/or fans. One of them is a trio consisting of bassists Léon Francioli, Beb Guérin, and Barre Phillips, recorded live in 1976. I don’t know who sent it to him, or for what reason, but the music is beautiful. Side one is here. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Trio Basses (Léon Francioli, Beb Guérin, Barre Phillips, double basses)Musique Dans La Rue, Square du XV, Paris, France19 June 1976Side Two* Argile (Beb Guérin)* La Folle (Barre Phillips)* YM (Barre Phillips)* Few Too (Barre Phillips)* Public (Léon Francioli)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Many of the cassettes in my father’s collection were given to him by other musicians, managers, friends, and/or fans. One of them is a trio consisting of bassists Léon Francioli, Beb Guérin, and Barre Phillips, recorded live in 1976. I don’t know who sent it to him, or for what reason, but the music is beautiful. I’ll post side two next week. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Trio Basses (Léon Francioli, Beb Guérin, Barre Phillips, double basses)Musique Dans La Rue, Square du XV, Paris, France19 June 1976Side One* Just Eight (Barre Phillips)* Square Blues (Barre Philips)* Veritable (Barre Philips)* Silver Cloud (Barre Philips)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

On 12 November 1983, at least 20,000 people gathered near the White House to protest U.S. intervention in Central America and the Carribean. The United States had recently invaded Grenada. Within three years, the Reagan administration would be embroiled in the Iran-Contra Affair.Several satellite demonstrations occurred around the country, including in Los Angeles, where this broadcast originated. Marchers are interviewed as they arrive in MacArthur Park along Wilshire Blvd. Organizers of the event, a Catholic priest, and a professor of nuclear physics speak to the audience. A local reggae band, Boss Skank, performs. Excerpts from Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra’s 1983 LP The Ballad Of The Fallen are dubbed over the proceedings, from the studio of L.A. radio station KPFK-FM.This is side two of a cassette found in my father’s collection. Side one is here. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

On 12 November 1983, at least 20,000 people gathered near the White House to protest U.S. intervention in Central America and the Carribean. The United States had recently invaded Grenada. Within three years, the Reagan administration would be embroiled in the Iran-Contra Affair.Several satellite demonstrations occurred around the country, including in Los Angeles, where this broadcast originated. Marchers are interviewed as they arrive in MacArthur Park along Wilshire Blvd. Organizers of the event, a Catholic priest, and a professor of nuclear physics speak to the audience. A local reggae band, Boss Skank, performs. Excerpts from Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra’s 1983 LP The Ballad Of The Fallen are dubbed over the proceedings, from the studio of L.A. radio station KPFK-FM.This is side one of a cassette found in my father’s collection. I’ll post side two next week. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

On 19 December 1984, the entire duration of Larry Blood’s jazz-centric radio show Out Front, Outback was devoted to the music of Charlie Haden. It was broadcast on the Santa Cruz, CA. independent station KUSP-FM. Mr. Blood made a dub and sent it to Charlie, contained on two cassettes, both of which I found in a box of many 1980s-era tapes from my father’s collection. Side one of the first cassette can be found here. Side two of the first cassette can be found here. Side one of the second cassette can be found here.KUSP folded in 2016. Mr. Blood and Out Front, Outback broadcasts every Thursday evening at 7pm PST on KZSC 81.1 FM Santa Cruz. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.“Charlie Haden Special”Cassette two, side twoOut Front, Outback radio show19 December 1984KUSP-FM, Santa Cruz, CA.Host: Larry BloodTrack listing:* (If The) Misfits (Wear It) (Keith Jarrett) from Keith Jarrett, Fort Yawuh, 1973, Impulse.* Satellite / How High The Moon (William M. Lewis, Nancy Hamilton/John Coltrane) from Charlie Haden & Denny Zeitlin, Time Remembers One Time Once, 1983, ECM.* Georgian Bay (Paul Motian) from Paul Motian, Conception Vessel, 1973, ECM.* Human Being (Charlie Haden) from Ornette Coleman & Charlie Haden, Soapsuds, Soapsuds, 1979, Artists House.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

On 19 December 1984, the entire duration of Larry Blood’s jazz-centric radio show Out Front, Outback was devoted to the music of Charlie Haden. It was broadcast on the Santa Cruz, CA. independent station KUSP-FM. Mr. Blood made a dub of the show and sent it to Charlie, contained on two cassettes, both of which I found in a box of many 1980s-era tapes from my father’s collection. Side one of the first cassette can be found here. Side two of the first cassette can be found here. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.“Charlie Haden Special”Cassette two, side oneOut Front, Outback radio show19 December 1984KUSP-FM, Santa Cruz, CA.Host: Larry BloodTrack listing:* Out Of Focus (Charlie Haden) from Charlie Haden, The Golden Number, 1977, Horizon/A&M.* Chairman Mao (Charlie Haden) from Old And New Dreams, 1977, Black Saint.* Chairman Mao (Charlie Haden) from Charlie Haden & Denny Zeitlin, Time Remembers One Time Once, 1983, ECM.* For Turiya (Charlie Haden) from Charlie Haden, Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti, Folk Songs, 1981, ECM.* La Pasionaria (Charlie Haden) from Liberation Music Orchestra, The Ballad Of The Fallen, 1983, ECMAll words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

On 19 December 1984, the entire duration of Larry Blood’s jazz-centric radio show Out Front, Outback was devoted to the music of Charlie Haden. It was broadcast on the Santa Cruz, CA. independent station KUSP-FM. Mr. Blood made a dub of the show and sent it to Charlie, contained on two cassettes, both of which I found in a box of many 1980s-era tapes from my father’s collection. Side one of the first cassette can be found here. Solid, Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.“Charlie Haden Special”Cassette one, side twoOut Front, Outback radio show19 December 1984KUSP-FM, Santa Cruz, CA.Host: Larry BloodTrack listing:* Song For Che (Charlie Haden) (from Ornette Coleman, Crisis, 1972, Impulse Records)* Charlie Haden spoken promo for KUSP-FM* El Quinto Regimento / Los Cuatro Generales / Viva La Quince Brigada (Traditional) (from Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, 1970, Impulse Records)* Friends And Neighbors (Ornette Coleman) (from Ornette Coleman, Friends And Neighbors, 1970, Flying Dutchman)* For A Free Portugal (Charlie Haden) (from Charlie Haden, Closeness, 1976, Horizon/A&M)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

On 19 December 1984, the entire duration of Larry Blood’s jazz-centric radio show Out Front, Outback was devoted to the music of Charlie Haden. It broadcast on the Santa Cruz, CA. independent station KUSP-FM.The program presents a historical overview of my father’s music, beginning with his early Ornette Coleman recordings, to his early 1980s work with Jan Garbarek and Egberto Gismonti. It includes a rarely-heard interview, taped after his set at the 1984 Monterey Jazz Festival. Covering two cassettes, it’s a great Charlie Haden audio document as well as amazing snapshot in time. I’ll post side two next week. Solid Jackson.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.“Charlie Haden Special”Out Front, Outback radio show19 December 1984KUSP-FM, Santa Cruz, CA.Host: Larry BloodTrack listing:* Lonely Woman (Ornette Coleman) (from Ornette Coleman, The Shape Of Jazz To Come, 1959, Atlantic Records)* The Face Of The Bass (Ornette Coleman) (from Ornette Coleman, Change Of The Century, 1960, Atlantic Records)* Ramblin’ (Ornette Coleman) (from Ornette Coleman, Change Of The Century, 1960, Atlantic Records)* Interview with Charlie Haden. September 1984, Monterey Jazz Festival, Leon Allen, interviewer.* Lonely Woman (Ornette Coleman) (from Denny Zeitlin, Shining Hour - Live At The Trident, 1966, Columbia)* Dem Basses (Archie Shepp) (from Archie Shepp, Mama Too Tight, 1967, Impulse)All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

We continue with side two of Lee Konitz’ At Storyville. The disc is from Charlie’s collection. Side one is here. Viva Lee! Solid Jackson.Lee Konitz At Storyville (10” LP, mono, 1954, Storyville Records)Lee Konitz, saxophone; Ronald Ball, piano; Percy Heath, bass, Al Levitt, drums.Recorded 5 January 1954, Storyville, Copley Square Hotel, Boston, MA.Side One* Sound Lee (Konitz)* Subconcious Lee (Konitz)In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Singer, guitarist, songwriter, poet Carlos Puebla was born in Cuba in 1917. He taught himself guitar and formed a group called Los Tradicionales. He wrote songs in support of an independent Cuba, against the Bautista military dictatorship, and for peace. His best known composition, “Hasta Siempre”, was written in honor of Che Guevara’s contributions to the Cuban Revolution.My father listened to the music of Carlos Puebla. It inspired his 1970 album Liberation Music Orchestra. The original recording of “Hasta Siempre” was sampled in their version of Charlie’s tune “Song For Che” - listen at around the 4:16 mark.I’m not sure what album these songs are from. I found them on a Maxell UD 90 cassette, in a box filled with cassette tapes belonging to Charlie. The label reads, “Carlos Puebla etc”. My father collected protest music records and tapes from all over the world. See here, here, and here. Solid, Jackson.Carlos Puebla Y Sus Tradicionales* Saludo a Finlandia* Y En Eso Llego Fidel* Hasta Siempre* Pues Que Se Mude* Autos de Uso* Guantanamera (Joseíto Fernández)* Soy del Pueblo* Nuestra Ayuda* Independencia Parcial* El Lobo Domesticado* Elegía por Salvador Allende* La Oea Es Cosa De RisaAll songs written by Carlos Puebla except where noted.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Lee and Charlie go back a long way. They met in 1956, when my father, aged 19, moved to Los Angeles from his hometown of Springfield, MO. Included in Charlie’s record collection are many albums he purchased in those early L.A. years, between 1956-60. Lee Konitz’ At Storyville is one of them. The jacket’s falling apart. The disc has no innersleeve. The vinyl crackles. Released on 10” 33rpm disc in 1954, At Storyville features alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Ronnie Ball, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Al Levitt, recorded in Boston during a live set at pre-Monterey Jazz Fest George Wein’s Storyville nightclub. It’s on George Wein’s Storyville Records. George Wein wrote the liner notes.I met Lee Konitz several times. He had been described to me as a cranky curmudgeon. He was not cranky nor curmudgeonly to me. He was friendly and full of positive energy and enthusiasm. The last time I saw him was at my father’s memorial at NYC’s Town Hall, January 2015. Despite the somber occasion, backstage was filled with legendary musicians getting ready to play. When musicians are getting ready to play they’re happy no matter what. Lee was filled with happiness and hope for the future. At the time he was 87 years old. He looked twenty years younger.This is the copy from Charlie’s archive. I digitized it. It was remastered and put out with similar live recordings, on CD in 2020. I haven’t heard the result but encourage you to seek it out. I’ll post side 2 next week. Solid, Jackson.Lee Konitz At Storyville (10” LP, mono, 1954, Storyville Records)Lee Konitz, saxophone; Ronald Ball, piano; Percy Heath, bass, Al Levitt, drums.Recorded 5 January 1954, Storyville, Copley Square Hotel, Boston, MA.Side One* Hi Beck (Konitz)* These Foolish Things (Maschwitz/Strachey)In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden. Except where noted. All rights reserved.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Here’s side two of the Mikis Theodorakis concert broadcast, dubbed by my grandfather on cassette for Charlie. Interspersed are brief quotes from interviews with singer Maria Farantouri, and with Theodorakis himself. It’s continued from side one.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words and images © 2024 Josh Haden, the Estate of Charlie Haden, except by respective copyright holders.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021) was a Greek composer, musician, vocalist, activist and politician. The right-wing military junta that overthrew the Greek government in 1967 banned his songs. He was arrested and spent time in prison, where he was tortured. After returning from exile, he rejoined the Hellenic government as member of parliament, and as Minister of State, simultaneously writing and composing all the while. He is one of the most beloved figures of modern Greece.It’s a white Virco cassette, dubbed by my grandfather. The handwriting, in pencil, is almost certainly my father’s. .The recording is a Mikis Theodorakis concert broadcast either on the local Los Angeles NPR affiliate or Pacifica’s KPFK in the mid-1980s. I can’t find it listed in the Pacifica archives, and a google search related to NPR turns up nothing. Interspersed on side one are interview snippets with singer and politician Maria Farantouri, Theodorakis’ muse and frequent collaborator.Charlie collected the work of international political musicians and composers. He used these recordings as research for his Liberation Music Orchestra, and sometimes created versions of their songs for LMO albums. I’ll post side two next week.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words and images © 2024 Josh Haden, the Estate of Charlie Haden, except by respective copyright holders.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

First Meeting was recorded by Gary Denton in 1985, at his eponymous studio on Cohasset Street in Van Nuys. The following year Gary opened Stagg Street Studios (on Stagg Street), about five miles away, off Saticoy St. Fate’s Warning, D.R.I., Cryptic Slaughter, and B***h were some of the first bands to record there.After mixing was completed, Gary shipped the tape to Japan. First Meeting was produced for the Japanese market. The album was mastered in Tokyo at Tamco Studios by Kimio Oikawa. Oikawa has engineered, produced, or mastered well over a hundred jazz albums, including work for ECM. Most of what I know about this record can be found in my post for Side One. It was released in Japan on LP and CD in 1986. It has never been reissued. It can’t be found on streaming services. Milcho and Charlie played L.A. gigs together in the early to mid-1980s. They played at the Comeback Inn. They played at a festival celebrating the Olympic Games in 1984. I have a memory of Milcho conducting the Liberation Music Orchestra at McCabe’s Guitar Shop around this time. It was the same show the minutemen opened.After First Meeting, the musical relationship stopped. He and my father never recorded together again. Milcho had a long, distinguished career in the studio, touring, and teaching. He never quite broke through commercially. Milcho died in 2019. Producer Gary Denton died in 2016.First MeetingPiano: Milcho Leviev; Bass: Charlie HadenSide One* When Will The Blues Leave? (Ornette Coleman)* Nardis (Miles Davis)* Beaup (Milcho Leviev, Charlie Haden)* J.S. (Bach, Milcho Leviev)Side Two* Monk’s Moment (Eddie Harris)* Chairman Mao (Charlie Haden)* What’ll I Do (Irving Berlin)* Silence (Charlie Haden)Produced and Engineered by Gary Denton at Gary Denton Studios, 1985Digitally Mastered by Kimio Oikawa at Tamco Studios, Tokyo, 1986.Art Direction: Tan OheDesign: Eiji Sakagawa/Strange FruitsCover photo: Tatsuhiko TanakaAlbum images from the collection of the Charlie Haden Estate.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums from the record collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words and images © 2024 Josh Haden, the Estate of Charlie Haden, except by respective copyright holders.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Milcho Leviev was born in Bulgaria in 1937. Same year as my father. He was appointed as the conductor of the Bulgarian National Radio Big Band in 1962. He moved to Los Angeles in 1970. He worked with Don Ellis, Billy Cobham, Lainie Kazan, and Art Pepper.Charlie had lots of respect for his piano playing. I remember my dad walking around saying “Milcho” a lot. I think Milcho conducted Liberation Music Orchestra when Carla wasn’t available, for a time.I’m not sure when Milcho and Charlie first met. It had to have been before 1986, the year First Meeting was released. They played a duet gig at the Comeback Inn in 1983. Milcho was music director there.Side one opens with their version of Ornette’s “When Will The Blues Leave”. Into the Miles Davis tune “Nardis”. They play a song co-written by the two of them, “Beaup”. Closes with “J.S.”, written by Milcho in collaboration with Bach.I’ll post side two next week.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums from the record collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.All words and images © 2024 Josh Haden, the Estate of Charlie Haden, except by respective copyright holders.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Milt Wolff grew up with my maternal grandfather, George. They belonged to the Young Communist League in Brooklyn and Queens, alongside children of many other neighborhood immigrant families. At the age of 22, in 1937, Milt travelled by ship to Spain where he volunteered in the struggle against the right wing Nationalists and their newly-made leader, Francisco Franco. Originally a pacifist, his intention was to work as a medic. His first job was as a stretcher-carrier. He became a machine-gunner. Then a Captain. Within a year, Milt became the final Commander of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, taking charge of the 3,000-man unit in the 1938 Sierra Pandols offensive against Franco’s troops. While on leave, Milt met Ernest Hemingway at the Café Chicote in Madrid. They remained life-long friends. Hemingway wrote about Milt. "Twenty-three years old, tall as Lincoln, gaunt as Lincoln, and as brave and as good a soldier as any that commanded battalions at Gettysburg. He is alive and unhit by the same hazard that leaves one tall palm tree standing where a hurricane has passed."After the fascists won, Milt immediately enlisted in WWII for the British before the U.S. entered the war, and for the Americans under Major General “Wild Bill” Donovan, head of the OSS. In this capacity he worked with Italian Partisans fighting Mussolini. He also fought in India and Burma. A decade later, hauled before the House Un-American Committee regarding his work with Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, labelled by Senator Joseph McCarthy as a Communist front organization, Milt explained,"I am Jewish, and knowing that as a Jew we are the first to suffer when fascism does come, I went to Spain to fight against it."Milt visited many times when I was a teenager. He was tall and lean, with messy white hair, everpresent handkerchief adorning his neck. He’d arrive in a fast convertible sports car. He was always with a different, beautiful younger woman. They seemed to have, to me at the time, boundless energy and undefeatable optimism. I’ll never forget Milt’s big smile as he drove down Rimmer Drive, on his way to another adventure.Milt heavily influenced my father. His story, the story of the International Brigades’ struggle against fascist tyranny, and the music that inspired and came out of that struggle, found their way onto Charlie’s debut album as leader, Liberation Music Orchestra, recorded in NYC in 1969. This world was opened to him when he met my mother in 1964. As I've written in these pages, George, and my great Aunts and Uncles, had hidden away the music of the Spanish Civil War for fear of it being confiscated by the police, and of being arrested. Some of them went as far as burying the discs underground. The first song on side two of Concierto Con Tambor Y Metralla, “Frente De La Libertad”, also known as "Einheitsfrontlied" or “Song Of The United Front” (with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht), is the second piece to appear on the first LMO LP. Milt Wolff published two books in his lifetime. Another Hill: An Autobiographical Novel (1994, University of Illinois Press) and A Member of the Working Class (2005, iUniverse).Milt contributed articles to numerous publications, including The Volunteer, Journal Of The Veterans Of The Abraham Lincoln Brigade.Milt was interviewed extensively for the Library Of Congress Veterans History Project.Side one of Concierto Con Tambor Y Metralla is here.I found this cassette in a box of hundreds of tapes documenting live performances, radio interviews, rough mixes of studio recordings, etc. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting the preservation of Charlie’s estate, as well as the writing of my book, by subscribing to this substack. Solid, Jackson. Thanks for listening.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

A recalcitrant record label. The estate of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. A major U.S. bank unfamiliar with foreign tax law. Music royalties. Combine them and the result is a delay in Josh Haden’s Memoire posts. My goal is to publish every three or four days. If you detect a slowdown, it’s probably because I’m busy contacting the Internal Revenue Service, a bank, record companies, or all at the same time. Making sure my father’s myriad contracts are honored properly is a constant vigil on my part. The time and energy it takes negatively effects my Substack writing, not to mention the work I need to do on my own music.I know it’s part of the bigger picture. But I have, since my days as an idealistic teenager, felt that the stifling of artistic expression, and the assault this incurs and represents, is caused by certain “non-artistic” entities for particular reasons.Concierto Con Tambor Y Metralla (“Concert With Drum And Shrapnel”) is a kind of psychedelic pastiche collage of the words, sounds, and music of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). La música de la Guerra Civil Española appears on almost all of Charlie’s Liberation Music Orchestra albums. Starting with recordings lent to him by my mother’s parents in the late 1960s, my father collected all kinds of revolutionary music as research for his own projects. This 1980s-era cassettte is one of them. I post the track listing below. Return here next week for side two.I found this cassette in a box of hundreds of tapes documenting live performances, radio interviews, rough mixes of studio recordings, etc. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting the preservation of Charlie’s estate, as well as the writing of my book, by subscribing to this substack. Solid, Jackson. Thanks for listening.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit joshhaden.substack.comOn April 29, 1984, my then 46 year-old father sat down with WAMU-FM Washington D.C.’s Tom Cole for a wide-ranging interview, covering Charlie’s family history and his early career with Ornette Coleman, to his philosophy on music, politics, education and lots more.The une…

Charlie was recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment For The Arts in 2012. I have lots of NEA Jazz Master program material in boxes, especially from 2012 and the years directly preceding and superseding it.I found two copies of a book/magazine, published in 2012, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the NEA Jazz Master Fellowship. It was established in 1982, according to the NEA website, to “nationally recognize outstanding jazz musicians for their lifelong achievements and mastery of jazz…”An attached compact disc contains brief interview snippets and music from many jazz luminaries recognized since the award’s inception, including Kenny Barron, Jim Hall, Roy Haynes, Yusef Lateef, Lee Konitz, McCoy Tyner, and Ellis Marsalis, just to name a few. My father wasn’t included on the CD, but he does have a page in the book. In one photo, he sits next to trumpeter Nicholas Payton, son of bassist Walter Payton. Tracks* Introduction by A.B. Spellman* Early Inspiration From Hearing Live MusicKenny Barron (2010)Muhal Richard Abrams (2010)Marian McPartland (2000)Buddy DeFranco (2006)* Early Inspiration From Radio & RecordingsJim Hall (2004)Cedar Walton (2010)Toshiko Akiyoshi (2007)Dan Morgenstern (2007)George Avakian (2010)* Early Inspiration From TeachersJohnny Mandel (2011)Ramsey Lewis (2007)Curtis Fuller (2007)* First InstrumentsRoy Haynes (1995)Yusef Lateef (2010)George Benson (2009)Lee Konitz (2009)Jimmy Heath (2003)Hubert Laws (2011)* First Performing ExperiencesQuincy Jones (2008)Bobby Huthcerson (2010)Buddy DeFranco (2006)Annie Ross (2010)McCoy Tyner (2002)Slide Hampton (2005)Jimmy Cobb (2009)Chico Hamilton (2004)* Relating To AudiencesBobby Hutcherson (2010)Slide Hampton (2005)* The Art Of ImprovisationLee Konitz (2009)Jim Hall (2004)Kenny Barron (2010)* Composing And ArrangingYusef Lateef (2010)Jon Hendricks (1993)Bill Holman (2010)Frank Foster (2002)Gerald Wilson (1990)Johnny Mandel (2011)* Musical Influences And MentorsSnooky Young (2009)Jon Hendricks (1993)Bill Holman (2010)Frank Foster (2002)Gerald Wilson (1990)Johnny Mandel (2011)* Jazz EducationWynton Marsalis (2011)Ellis Marsalis (2011)Kenny Barron (2010)Dave Liebman (2011)* Why Jazz?George Benson (2009)Jimmy Heath (2003)Dave Brubeck (1999)Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

Eritrea lies along the Red Sea. It has an archipelago. It’s half-circled by Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Sudan.The area has been home to humans for a million years. There are records of trade with ancient Egypt. Aksum, a kingdom which existed for almost a millennium until 940 A.D., erected the largest obelisk in the world. It still stands.What is known as modern Eritrea passed through different hands, including a Christian dynasty and the Ethiopian and Ottoman Empires. Italy established a colony in the late 1800s. They built factories and laid train tracks. Mussolini declared Eritrea part of the Roman Empire’s rebirth.After WWII the Allies couldn’t decide what to do with Eritrea. At the urging of the United States, it was federated with its neighbor, Ethiopia. The Eritrean Liberation Movement was formed in 1958 to promote independence from foreign rule. In 1961 the Eritrean Liberation Front began an armed struggle for freedom. In response, Ethiopean ruler Haile Selassie dissolved the Etririean assembly and annexed the entire country. What came to be called the Eritrean War of Independence lasted 30 years.The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, the music of which we hear from this circa 1980 cassette, defeated the Ethiopean army in 1991. Eritrea is now ruled by the EPLF. Since 1993, they have had one president, and they have never held elections.Side one of this cassette, along with more information, can be heard here. This cassette was found in a box, along with live bootlegs and commerical releases, belonging to the collection of my father, jazz bassist Charlie Haden.Victory to the masses! Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

My father collected protest music from all over the world. There are LPs from the Spanish Civil War. Songs of resistance from Chile, El Salvador, Peru, Uruguay, Honduras, Nicaragua, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, and Cuba. Brazil. Puerto Rico. Haiti. South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique. Vietnam, Communist China. Lebanon and Palestine. Portugal. Poland. Songs of the Black Panthers and of anti-Vietnam protests in the USA.Charlie let the material inform his own projects, especially his Liberation Music Orchestra. Pieces from the Spanish Civil War showed up on the first LMO album, from 1970, one of the first examples of sampling that I can think of. Subsequent releases saw the orchestra record the anthem of the African National Congress and Quilapayún’s classic of Chilean resistance, “The People United Will Never Be Defeated”. They recorded “We Shall Overcome” and a purposely off-key version of “America The Beautiful”. As I move through this box I’m finding examples on cassettes. Eritrean Revolutionary Songs N. 5 has jacket notes written in English, Tigrinya, and Arabic, but mostly Tigrinya. There’s no track listing. It’s a compilation of different artists performing songs of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front. I’m guessing, from other tapes, it dates from circa 1980.I’ll post side two next week. Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit joshhaden.substack.comOn the evening of 29 March 1984, Mark Crawford, the host of Reno, Nevada public radio station KUNR’s Just Jazz, aired a special program honoring Reno bassist Jim Haden, who had died of a heart attack four days earlier. For almost 90 minutes, Mark, along with guest John Peirce, a legendary Reno-area saxophonist, recalled memories, stories, and music of Jim. Jim was the big brother of my father, jazz bassist Charlie Haden. As I wrote in part one, Jim was the major influence on my father’s life. Jim introduced Charlie to big band and be-bop at a very early age. Charlie looked up to Jim, so much so he even adopted his instrument.I found this interview on a cassette among many live bootlegs and studio mixes in my father’s effects.John Peirce opens part two talking about how he reacted when first hearing Ornette Coleman in 1957.Josh Haden's Mémoire is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit joshhaden.substack.comOn the evening of 29 March 1984, Mark Crawford, the host of Reno, Nevada public radio station KUNR’s Just Jazz, had an announcement to make. That night’s episode would be a memorial tribute to legendary local jazz bassist Jim Haden, who suffered a heart attack four days previously, on stage, clutching his bass. He died in the hospital hours later.Over the next ninety minutes, Crawford, along with longtime Reno-area saxophonist and close friend of Jim’s, John Peirce, shared memories and played rehearsal tapes of Jim, who had performed extensively in and around Reno clubs and casinos for over ten years, but rarely set foot in recording studios. John describes Jim as “one of the best bass players who ever lived.” John says that Jim recorded with blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and gigged with jazz pianist Errol Garner. Jim played and maintained correspondence with free jazz saxophonist Rashaan Roland Kirk. He was also a talented painter. Jim was, of course, older brother to my father, Charlie Haden.

Bassist Buell Neidlinger was born on March 2, 1936, in New York City. At the age of nineteen he joined Cecil Taylor’s group. In 1959, he played with Jimmy Giuffre, opening for Ornette Coleman at the Five Spot. He sat in with Ornette sometimes when my father couldn’t make the gig. Buell soon grew tired of the financial see-saw of a jazz musician’s life. He joined the world of classical music. He went on the road with the Boston Pops, and became bass chair in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1971, Neidlinger moved to Los Angeles, where he joined the Warner Bros. studio orchestra. He was principal bassist there for 30 years.Buell continued playing jazz in a variety of settings. Krystal Klear and The Buells had a big presence in the early 1980s L.A. jazz scene. The group consisted of Marty Krystall on tenor sax, Buell Neidlinger on bass, Warren Gale, trumpet, and my father’s old friend Billy Higgins on drums. Their debut album, Ready For The 90s, was released in 1980. Cecil Taylor performed on one track. Buell Neidlinger continued putting out amazing jazz records for decades. He died in 2018.The tracks on side one are entitled, I Gor’s BLUEs and Like, Latin/Synapse. Side two starts with Modern Gizz, into P.O., and ends with Cecil.Read my post, “Interviews From A Box, Pt. 1: Charlie Haden vs Buell Neidlinger” for more about Neidlinger’s life and his relationship to my father. You can find it at joshhaden.substack.com.In this Substack podcast I listen to albums from the record collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.Also, consider visiting the website of my band, Spain. We’re in the midst of recording a new studio album. Subscribers can listen to rough mixes of brand new songs as we record them, and other exclusive tracks. The address is spaintheband.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

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

I opened the top drawer of the oak dresser on my immediate left. It was filled with cassette tapes. Laying on top was one titled “Charlie Haden Quartet West / Jerusalem 1995”. I put it in the canvas bag.Ruth died on 11 September 2021. Probate took over a year to complete. The dusty garage was filled, floor to rafters, with my father’s effects. There was only a narrow path left for walking. The shelves were stuffed with tapes and CDs. Live recordings, rough studio mixes, finished pre-release album versions. I took the Jerusalem cassette home. Put it in my cassette deck. Plugged my cassette deck into my computer. The notes state it’s a recording from the I.B.A. - Israel Broadcasting Authority, the official public broadcaster until they were replaced by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) in 2017. I’m guessing the performance was taped off air and mailed to my father shortly after.Charlie was fifty-eight when this concert occurred. It was his first visit to Israel. I present set one here. I’ll post the second set next week. Charlie Haden Quartet WestIsrael FestivalJerusalem, IsraelMay or June 1995First Set1. Passport (Charlie Parker)2. Hello My Lovely (Charlie Haden3. Child’s Play (Charlie Haden)4. First Song (Charlie Haden)Charlie Haden - bassAlan Broadbent - pianoErnie Watts - saxLarance 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

Treacherous Jaywalkers was a band I formed with high school classmates Quinn Haber and James Fenton in 1984. Our first demo was recorded with producer/classmate Steve Tounsand on July 31st, 1985 in Steve’s parents’ living room. Shortly afterwards, I gave a copy to Mike Watt of the Minutemen, which eventually led to Watt asking us to sign to New Alliance Records, the label he had formed with Minutemen guitarist D. Boon.I recently published a Substack essay regarding the night Charlie Haden played on stage with the Minutemen at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in September 1984. The songs you hear in this podcast are extracted from the first Treacherous Jaywalkers demo, the same tape I gave to Mike Watt less than a year later. For more history about the Minutemen, read Michael Azzerad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life, or watch the 2005 documentary We Jam Econo: The Story Of the Minutemen. For more info on the Treacherous Jaywalkers, visit here.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

Solid, Jackson. My father arrived in Los Angeles in 1956. One night he was at Tiny Naylor’s on Hollywood and La Brea and introduced himself to bassist Red Mitchell. Red and Charlie became friends. Red introduced Charlie to saxophonist Art Pepper, then recommended Charlie to Art when Red couldn’t make a gig. Art subsequently hired Charlie for his quartet.Art Pepper began his career in the early 1940s with Benny Carter and Stan Kenton. He soon became, along with Charlie Parker, one of the most sought-after saxophonists in jazz. His career was sidelined by prison stints for drug offences, and by extended stays in rehabs. Charlie was one of the first people to work with Art after he returned to the studio in 1975.Pepper Jam +1 was released in 2009 on the Interplay label from Japan. According to the liner notes, the track you’re about to hear was recorded live in concert in Pasadena, California, March 29, 1975. Art and Charlie are joined by Anthony Ortega, alto sax, Zoot Sims and Harold Land, tenor sax, Bobby Hutcherson, vibes, Barney Kessel, guitar, Victor Feldman, piano, and Billy Higgins, drums.Read Art Pepper’s autobiography, Straight Life, published in 1979. 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

Pianist John Lewis was born in La Grange, Illinois in 1920 and died in 2001. He recorded and performed with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Miles Davis before founding the Modern Jazz Quartet with Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke in 1952. 1990’s Private Concert was a late period release on the EmArcy label. This solo piano album was produced by Jean-Philippe Allard, who also produced my father’s Quartet West albums. John Lewis and The Modern Jazz Quartet were a big influence on Charlie.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. The 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

The Empty Foxhole was recorded in September 1966 and released on Blue Note Records in both mono and stereo versions that same year, just nineteen months before the day I was born. You’re listening to the mono version. It features Ornette Coleman on saxophone, trumpet, and violin, Ornette’s then-10-year old son Denardo on drums, and Charlie Haden on bass. The track listing is, side one, Good Old Days, The Empty Foxhole, and Sound Gravitation, followed by side two, Freeway Express, Faithful, and Zig Zag. All songs were written by Ornette. This album is seen in the opening paragraphs of my upcoming book of mémoires, the first pages of which I’ve posted on my Substack. Subscribers can follow the book’s genesis and read other exclusive posts. Podcasts are always free. What do you have to lose? Go to joshhaden.substack.com today.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 Mémoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. That address again 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