Jasmine

Offhand, I can’t think of a musician who’s given me more pleasure over the past two decades than Charlie Haden, bassist extraordinaire. The album he did with Pat Metheny—Beyond the Missouri Sky—was one I played over and over. And I still do. His more recent homage to his country roots—Rambling Boy—is a gem. Ditto his 2004 Latin album Land of the Sun with Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Haden is a player with exquisite taste, a deeply embedded sense of timing, and the absolute chops to match. Few musicians can claim the diversity of genres and settings he’s played in, with everyone from Ornette Coleman to John Lennon. So, when he re-teamed with Keith Jarrett, a guy he’s played with for more than 40 years, I figured it would be good, and I wasn’t disappointed. For one thing, the two of them led off with “For All We Know,” a sentimental favorite. I’ve heard the tune a thousand times, and shed a tear or two over it, but Haden and Jarrett manage to breathe new life into the song, and prompt a new tear. Their rendition of “Body and Soul” executes the same magic, and they are seamless together on “No Moon at All.” Two seasoned masters at the top of their game.