Time-life (songs for the whales and other beings)

Description

Two years after the passing of Charlie Haden, in July 2014, the spirit of the famous bassist continues to inspire the ensemble on its latest album, a record that contains the last recording of the double bassist alongside the Liberation Music Orchestra. In August 2011, the Liberation Music Orchestra performed at the Middelheim Jazz Festival in Antwerp. It offers the audience a sumptuous interpretation of Blue in Green by Bill Evans and Miles Davis as well as a version that is as bold as it is evocative of Song for the Whales, a piece by Charlie Haden. Fortunately, the Belgian public radio recorded these performances to broadcast them during a special program. Benefiting from the presence of Charlie Haden, these two pieces form the backbone of Time/Life. Before the artist had the opportunity to re-record Blue in Green and Song for the Whales in the studio with the Liberation Music Orchestra and to compose other pieces for a new album, his health deteriorated rapidly. Carla Bley was asked to write arrangements for three other compositions and to co-produce the album. To take on the heavy task of holding the double bass, Steve Swallow, whose friendship with the founder of the Liberation Music Orchestra dates back to the late 1950s, emerged as the most natural choice.