This meeting between Charlie Haden and Brad Mehldau unites two musicians from separate generations who are linked in musical spirit. Haden, who died in 2014, was a seminal figure in the development of avant-garde jazz, building his legacy as the bassist for Ornette Coleman’s groundbreaking quartet of the 1960s. In that respect, he was also
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The pair first met in 1993 and began recording together shortly after, first on 1997’s Alone Together (with saxophonist Lee Konitz) and then on 2011’s Live at Birdland (featuring Konitz and drummer Paul Motian). Stunning as these albums were as ensemble pieces, they were remarkable for the focused attention they brought to Haden and Mehldau’s musical chemistry. These were artists who shared a passion for impressionistic harmonies, graceful understatement and deeply attentive interplay.
Long Ago and Far Away was recorded in Germany in 2007 and marks Haden and Mehldau’s only recording as a duo. Much like these artists’ previous work, the album — a program of six Great American Songbook standards — has the candid feel of a conversation between close friends. Here, however, the conversation has been elevated to the level of poetry. The pieces on this disc are long and contemplative, but within them are statements of sublime elegance and laconic wisdom. On their version of Charlie Parker’s “Au Privave,” for example, their dialogue begins with a clear declaration of the song’s melody, but later, through artful interpretation, proceeds into dark and cosmic new territory. The effect renders the familiar contours of the song as eerily foreign. They achieve a similar result on the heartbreaking “What’ll I Do.” As the song unfolds, it becomes an anthem of uplift and optimism, its harmonies somehow more invigorated and profound.
On the whole, Long Ago and Far Away documents a superb pairing of musicians. Rarely do jazz artists intertwine as tightly — and with as magical a result — as they do here. —Brian Zimmerman