As Long As There's Music

Charlie Haden / Hampton Hawes - As Long as There's Music (1976) ARTISTSHOUSE AH 9404

Bassist Charlie Haden teams with pianist Hampton Hawes for this heartfelt session. The pair had performed together on an occasional basis since first meeting in 1957, and most recently on Art Pepper's August 1975 "Living Legend" date for Contemporary records. The following January, the two would record this Artists House LP, a set of five duets. This would be their last opportunity to play together because Hawes would pass away in 1977. The music is taken at a mostly relaxed pace, but also includes includes a fairly free improvisation on "Hello/ Goodbye," the duo's intepretation of the title cut, and a collaboration on "This Is Called Love" plus two originals by Hawes. This set shows the keenly empathetic raport the two developed over the years -- containing a great deal of thoughtful and subtle music by two masters. The album was later released on CD by Verve records.

Hampton Hawes (p) Charlie Haden (b) Kendun Recorders, Burbank, CA, January 25, 1976 Village Recorders, Los Angeles, CA, August 21, 1976

01 Irene       7:58 02 Rain Forest 5:34 03 Turnaround  7:52 04 As Long as There's Music      8:11 05 This Is Called Love      9:12 06 Hello, Goodbye 8:05 07 Irene  8:39 08 Turnaround  6:35 09 As Long as There's Music     7:32