Double Bass | 1937-2014

Charlie Haden revolutionised bass playing in jazz, evolving from purely accompanying roles to independent melodic improvisation. As Ornette Coleman's bassist on The Shape of Jazz to Come and other groundbreaking albums, he helped invent free jazz by creating harmonies in the moment rather than following predetermined structures.

In 1969, he formed the Liberation Music Orchestra with pianist Carla Bley, merging avant-garde jazz with Spanish Civil War folk songs. His politically charged "Song for Che" once led to his arrest in fascist Portugal. Later work included the romantically inclined Quartet West and intimate duets with Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, and Hank Jones. Multiple Grammy winner and CalArts jazz educator, Haden's recordings span Impulse's revolutionary experiments, Verve's sophisticated nostalgia, and ECM's contemplative explorations.