CHARLIE HADEN — Silence (review)

CHARLIE HADEN — Silence album cover Album · 1989 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
snobb
In September 1987 Charlie Haden recorded an excellent piano trio album with pianist Geri Allen and drummer Paul Motian called "Etudes". Released the following year on the Italian Soul Note label, it opened with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" and continued with mostly originals by the band members, all boppish and swinging.

Three months after the "Etudes" sessions, Haden recorded more material in a Roman studio, but with a very different team this time. Billy Higgins replaces Paul Motian, lyrical Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi replaces Geri Allen, and even more, now there is a trumpeter on board, none other than Chet Baker. The end results became the album "Silence".

As one can expect, the music on "Silence" is different from "Etudes". With full respect to Baker's early albums, his participation on jazz albums in the 80s hardly adds a lot of pluses. His name and his voice can still attract nostalgic listeners, but his trumpet playing is hardly competitive compared with the artists he is working with. Even worse, there seems to be a rather pointless and commercial attempt to exploit Baker's past, you can't return the atmosphere back to the cool jazz era in the late 80s, added with Pieranunzi's melancholic mainstream slick piano sounds, its all quite artificial, out of time and place, a not too successful imitation.

This is still a product of classy musicians, so maybe it could attract fans of sentimental Italian jazz from the 70s, which, with varying success tried to combine American jazz traditions with Italian melodic lyricism and sentimentality.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Thrive Post-Fusion Contemporary
FABIENNE AMBÜHL (AMBUEHL)
Buy this album from MMA partners
Beneath the Skin Vocal Jazz
NNENNA FREELON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ozark Concerto Third Stream
JAKE HERTZOG
Buy this album from MMA partners
Samuel Blaser, Peter Bockius, Tilman Günther, Lucien Bovet : R​ê​verie 21st Century Modern
SAMUEL BLASER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Joe Morris, Caleb Duval, Michael Larocca : Refreshment Jazz Related Improv/Composition
JOE MORRIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Yellowjackets - Comin’ Home Baby (Official Audio)
YELLOWJACKETS
js· 23 hours ago
After the Last Sky
ANOUAR BRAHEM
js· 1 day ago
Positive Energy
GREG ABATE
snobb· 3 days ago
The 23
NELS CLINE
snobb· 4 days ago
Simple Pleasure
CHARLES CHEN
js· 4 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed