Charlie Haden - First Song (Soul Note, 1990)

 

Charlie Haden, bass

Billy Higgins, drums
Enrico Pieranunzi, piano

Recorded April 26, 1990

Barigozzi Studio, Milano

Engineer: Giancarlo Barigozzi

Although bassist Charlie Haden's name receives first billing, First Song is a co-equal, cooperative venture that doesn't require a leader. If anything, Enrico Pieranunzi commands the most attention as one might expect in a piano trio. Although he had begun recording in Italy 15 years earlier, Pieranunzi's reputation was not firmly established outside of Europe in 1990 when this album was recorded. That was soon to change. 

The title track begins the album and is one of Haden's most familiar compositions. The simple melody is introduced by Pieranunzi, and Haden joins in on the second verse as Billy Higgins accompanies on brushes. Pieranunzi then embellishes the tune for its final four minutes, winding down to a satisfying end.

The rest of the album is quite varied. Two ballads are handled quite differently. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" begins with a re-imagined melody that serves as solo opportunities for Pieranunzi and Haden. Not until the last 30 seconds of the tune does the actual melody appear. By contrast, "All the Way" is given a lush, romantic treatment that remains true to the original version sung by Frank Sinatra in 1957. I've known this song since slow dancing to it in my teens. The trio's version prompts the lyrics to form in my head and kindles my sentimental attachment to the song.

The album continues with radical transformations of two bebop compositions: Lennie Tristano's "Lennie's Pennies" and Charlie Parker's "Si Si." Pieranunzi's solo on "Pennies" includes intriguing variations that grow in intensity - not what I would expect on a Tristano number. "Si Si" is even more adventurous as the pianist rips through the changes of Parker's reimagined version of "Honeysuckle Rose." Billy Higgins finally gets solo space by trading fours with the piano before Pieranunzi returns to the main theme.

The album ends with two shorter numbers. "For Turiya" is Haden's short, solemn tribute to Alice Coltrane. Like most of Haden's music, it is simple in construction yet profound in its impact. Pieranunzi's "In the Moment" is a feature for Billy Higgins. 

First Song is the earliest recorded album in this blog. Although recorded in 1990, it was not released by Soul Note until 1992. The sequence will continue in order of recording dates, not the release dates. 

For my reviews on four other Charlie Haden albums, go to:

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