Charlie Haden and Quartet West. At the Lobero Theatre,
Wednesday, November 29.
Reviewed by Charles Donelan
strength, and from the warm reception he and his Quartet West
received at the Lobero last Wednesday, Santa Barbara knows it.
Whatever the connections that make Haden such a favorite in our
town, this special affection was in ample evidence from the opening
notes of his packed show.
Few players of any instrument can boast of an emotional
expressiveness as profound as Charlie Haden’s. He shone on every
number, managing to uncover something new in each of his gorgeous
solos. Standing on a riser and bathed in a soft spotlight, Haden
returned again and again to the middle register of his bass for an
astonishing range of melodic runs and arpeggios. It’s not just the
tone with Haden; it’s the sense of spirituality — the offering in
the moment — that animates his every note and separates him from
even the best of his peers.