Charlie Haden über seine erste Begegnung mit Paul Chambers
(Foto: Francis Wolff)
Kontext ist die Frage nach „your favorite John Coltrane recording“ in einem Podium, das 2006 anlässlich der drei Konzerte umfassenden „Comeback-Tour“ von Alice Coltrane und des (ca.) zeitgleichen 40. Jubiläums der Aufnahme von „A Love Supreme“ stattfand, Rackham Auditorium, University of Michigan, 21. September 2006; Liz Warner führte das Gespräch, neben Alice Coltrane und Charlie Haden war auch Roy Haynes dabei.
Abgedruckt ist das Gespräch in „Impulse! 60 Collector’s Zine“, das 2021 von Love Injection Special Projects für Impulse/Verve Music Group zusammengestellt und von Barbie Bertisch/Paul Raffaele herausgegeben [„edited“] wurde (hier S. 10/11), die eckigen Klammern [] sind so in der Quelle, meine sind diese {}:
CHARLIE HADEN
When I never really met him {John Coltrane} until 1957 out in Los Angeles. I went to Jazz City to hear Miles and Trane and Philly Joe [Jones], Red Garland and Paul Chambers. I sat right in the front row.
Of course, I had my eye on Paul Chambers the whole time because pictures that I had seen of him. I just love Paul Chambers. The pictures I saw of him when he played, it looked like he might be crying because there were tears in his eyes. So I’d just sit there and look at him. And when they finished the set, Paul came over to me and said, „Man, why are you staring at me like that?“
[audience laughter]
I said, „I’m sorry.“ I introduced myself and I said, „Well man, you play so beautifully and in some photographs I’ve seen you in, it seems like there’s tears in your eyes. I just wanted to see if that was true.“ And he said, „Of course it’s true!“ He said, „I cry when I play.“
{… danach spricht Haden ein wenig über Coltrane und die „Avant-Garde“ Session …}
ROY [to Charlie]
It’s interesting, what you said about Paul Chambers‘ eyes. That’s very true. Paul Chambers never gets enough credit for me. He was one of the greatest bass players
[applause]
CHARLIE
There’s something about musicians who have an impact on the art form. They have this – and Paul had this in his touch – this whisper coming through his strings. Coltrane had it in his reed. Bird had it in his reed. Ornette’s got it in his reed. You can hear Coleman Hawkins – you can hear the whisper. It’s like from God, man, it’s so beautiful.
--
"Don't play what the public want. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you doin' -- even if it take them fifteen, twenty years." (Thelonious Monk) | Meine Sendungen auf Radio StoneFM: gypsy goes jazz, #158 – Piano Jazz 2024 - 19.12.2024 – 20:00 | Slow Drive to South Africa, #8: tba | No Problem Saloon, #30: tba