Charlie Haden
Nocturne

Listening to albums like this gives the impression that jazz from its origins has been nourished by Latin motifs and rhythms. Not only do the early brave attempts at blending American black music with Afro-Cuban elements by pioneers like Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s seem prehistoric, but so do the abundant bossa nova sprees undertaken in the 1960s by a great saxophonist like Stan Getz.
Every moment of this "Nocturne" (2001) is the product of a perfectly successful fusion between jazz technique and Latin creativity, in this case Cuban and Mexican. In the role of "colonizer" (in a good sense), we find Charlie Haden, a white jazz musician who, in his long career, has supported a wide variety of artists with his bass, from the exuberant saxophonist Ornette Coleman to the crystal-clear pianist Keith Jarrett, as well as for particular experiences like the "Liberation Music Orchestra," under the series "jazz for the People" (his is "Song For Che", for example). The "local labor" is predominantly Cuban and of the highest reliability. On the album, the classic and cultured pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, a sort of Caribbean Bill Evans, and drummer Ignacio Berroa, who here traces the clean lines of calm yet captivating rhythms, often traceable to the Cuban-Mexican "bolero" or its more immediate variations, play regularly with Haden. This trio is enhanced by esteemed guests: Joe Lovano, who alternates with David Sanchez on tenor sax, Federico Britos Ruiz on violin, and the more famous Pat Metheny on acoustic guitar, although only in one track.

Even more than in the rhythms, the charm and originality of the album lie in the choice of melodies that, as the title also suggests, have a predominantly nocturnal character, akin to the "ballads" of traditional jazz, but at the same time with an undeniably Latin flavor, and it matters little if their Cuban and Mexican authors are practically unknown to us, even to jazz enthusiasts. Sometimes, but not always, they are the "standards" of those countries. In any case, they are pieces that, played in this context and by these musicians, manage to do themselves justice no less than they would if signed by Cole Porter or Rodgers & Hart, just to name two examples.
The start could not be better: "En la Orilla del Mundo" is a real gem, with Rubalcaba's impeccable classical piano introduction and then the chilling entry of Haden’s bass accompanied by Ruiz's violin, whose plaintive moan is the ideal voice to expose an inspired theme of Piazzollian melancholy, later taken up by Joe Lovano's sax, which uses it as a base to launch into a masterful solo, gently supported by the rest of the band. We will find Ruiz’s violin again giving voice to the singable, serene "Yo Sin Ti", a Mexican bolero in which Rubalcaba's clear solo also stands out, and the equally catchy but more querulous "El Ciego", where the usual bolero undergoes an imperceptible acceleration. More than the sharp sound of the violin, it is the warm breath of the tenor sax that perfectly marries these languid atmospheres.
Shining examples are the two pieces where David Sanchez's sax comes into play: "No Te Empeñes Mas" and "Tres Palabras", two Cuban boleros, the first just a little more sustained, both enhanced by Rubalcaba's punctual, clear piano solo. The pieces featuring Joe Lovano on tenor sax are no less impressive. "Contigo en la Distancia/En Nosotros", which blends two Cuban "standards" in a single bolero, in addition to the sensual phrasing of his sax and the indispensable contribution of the piano, also features a rare solo by Charlie Haden's bass.
Lovano contributes significantly to the nocturnal atmosphere of "Moonlight", one of the two pieces composed by Charlie Haden; the other is "Nightfall", and both are perfectly immersed in the prevalent climate of the album, as well as rhythmically akin to the traditional pieces. The same can be said for "Transparence", a work by Gonzalo Rubalcaba, whose duets with Lovano's sax, supported by Haden's bass as a precious binder, reveal perfect harmony and absolute refinement. In "Nocturnal" (as in "Nightfall"), the trio plays without guests; Haden and Berroa build a solid base on which Gonzalo Rubalcaba's piano, practically engaged in a continuous solo, can display all its clear class. Finally, here is "Noche de Ronda", with the guest of honor Pat Metheny embellishing this latest bolero with his impeccable classical guitar, from which the calm energy of a slow-motion flamenco seems to emanate, in an almost perfect interweaving with the notes of the piano, more rarefied than ever. Without a doubt, one of the happiest episodes of an album that at first listen, due to a certain rhythmic uniformity, may seem monothematic, but then definitively captures the listener thanks to the surprising variety of its melodic themes.