Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra

The Profile

Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra is a politically engaged jazz ensemble founded by bassist Charlie Haden in 1969, with arrangements and musical direction by Carla Bley. Across landmark albums from Liberation Music Orchestra to Not In Our Name and Time/Life, the group blends improvisation with orchestral color to foreground social and civil-rights themes.

Founded in 1969 by bassist Charlie Haden; core collaborator/arranger Carla Bley; noted albums include Liberation Music Orchestra (1969), The Ballad of the Fallen (1983), Dream Keeper (1990), Not In Our Name (2005), and Time/Life (2016). The repertoire often reframes folk and political songs and works by American composers such as Ornette Coleman and Pat Metheny.

A politically charged jazz ensemble led by Charlie Haden, arranged and conducted by Carla Bley. The featured review celebrates Not In Our Name as humane, engaged, and impeccably performed. Highlights include American repertoire reframed to affirm an alternative vision of the nation, with standout solos by Miguel Zenón and Michael Rodriguez.