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Track Listings
| 1. Els Segadors |
| 2. The Ballad Of The Fallen |
| 3. If You Want To Write Me |
| 4. Grandola Vila Morena |
| 5. Introduction To People |
| 6. The People United Will Never Be Defeated |
| 7. Silence |
| 8. Too Late |
| 9. La Pasionaria |
| 10. La Santa Espina |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This CD has long been a favourite of mine and ranks alongside the best of Louis' Hot 5 and 7's for me. It is truly that good !Led by bass legend Charlie Haden, the music originates from a combination of socialist's music from the Spanish Civil War and Latin America. The orchestrations are by Carla Bley who had never written anything so moving before or as good since.
Despite featuring a line-up of some hard and fast "Avant Garde-ists", the music is very melodic and full of drama and more conservative listeners should not be perturbed. Try the beautiful title track with it's dramatic modulation before the french horn solo or the bitter-sweet "Introduction to people" for example. Haden's most celebrated composition "Silence" gets the Big Band treatment here, this being a tune that has always reminded me of Chopin's C minor Prelude. The most poigniant track must be "Too late" that opens as a duet between the bassist and Carla Bley at the piano. The final track "La Santa Espina" sounds like something from a spaghetti western and features Don Cherry spitting out cracked notes on his pocket trumpet over a cracking rythmn section.
Not only is this CD the best produced by the esteemed record label ECM but is also one of the greatest Jazz albums of the last 25 years. Haden has always been good value for money as a bass player since his days with Ornette and "Ballad of the Fallen " remains his apogee. Five stars do not do this record justice. Come the Revolution, hopefully all Jazz records will be as good as this !!
Despite featuring a line-up of some hard and fast "Avant Garde-ists", the music is very melodic and full of drama and more conservative listeners should not be perturbed. Try the beautiful title track with it's dramatic modulation before the french horn solo or the bitter-sweet "Introduction to people" for example. Haden's most celebrated composition "Silence" gets the Big Band treatment here, this being a tune that has always reminded me of Chopin's C minor Prelude. The most poigniant track must be "Too late" that opens as a duet between the bassist and Carla Bley at the piano. The final track "La Santa Espina" sounds like something from a spaghetti western and features Don Cherry spitting out cracked notes on his pocket trumpet over a cracking rythmn section.
Not only is this CD the best produced by the esteemed record label ECM but is also one of the greatest Jazz albums of the last 25 years. Haden has always been good value for money as a bass player since his days with Ornette and "Ballad of the Fallen " remains his apogee. Five stars do not do this record justice. Come the Revolution, hopefully all Jazz records will be as good as this !!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Central american rhythms meet North America's top jazz players in a recording inspired by the carnage in El Salvador. Deeply moving tunes will leave you trembling. Gary Valente's trombone playing stands out amongst a galaxy of talent. Recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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6 reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Haden's strongest and most heartfelt work
6 Jan 2000
Format:Audio CD
I know that I am biased because this album had a more profound effect on me than any other recording I have ever experienced. In part this is due to the collaboration between Haden and Carla Bley. They put together an extraordinary mix of tonal folk music, brass band sounds, Spanish melodies and free jazz that never sound forced. Each piece logically blends into the next even when the styles are clearly being juxtaposed. Haden's sound and his ideas are beautiful from beginning to end. Also, his restraint. Imagine putting out a full-length album where you only solo about three times! But he more than makes up for it with his strong and clear supporting bass lines. This album leaves a little room for everyone on the session to have a say. Whenever I play it for my students they too, are left speechless. Who says politics and art can't mix. They do so to great end on this album. Also, the arrangement on Silence is perfect. It builds from Cherry's solo trumpet to a full orchestrated sound and when Carla Bley completes the piece with solo piano at its end . . . there are no words to describe the catharsis that takes place. This album is a masterpiece that should never be allowed to be out of print.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Remember the victims of south american dictatorships
23 Sep 2001
Format:Audio CD
November 1982.Charlie Haden and eleven musicians,including many members of the Liberation Music Orchestra, went into a german studio to record this Ellington-like suite,dedicated to the victims of the sadly known south american dictatorships.Carla Bley,Sharon Freeman,Mick Goodrick,Jack Jeffers,Michael Mantler,Don Cherry,Gary Valente,Steve Slagle,Jim Pepper,Paul Motian and Dewey Redman were here that day to create this masterpiece.The first tune,"els segadors",is a song of the spanish civil war,which became the official hymn of the Catalan Republic."the ballad of the fallen" is a folk song from El Savador,and the lyrics which inspired the tune were found on the body of a student massacred by the national guard of his country."if you want to write to me" was a fighting song of the spanish republican armies."grandola vila morena" was a song signaling the young army officers to revolt against the fascist portuguese government in 1974."the people united will never be defeated" was the anthem of the Chilean resistance against his terrible dictator,Augusto Pinochet."la santa espina" is an old song from Catalonia,often sung during the spanish civil war."La Pasionaria" is dedicated to Dolores Ibarruri,who shouted the famous slogan "no pasaran" against fascists.Another haunting version of this tune was later recorded by Geri Allen,with Haden and Motian,on the japanese DIW label.To those who don't speak spanish, "no pasaran" means "they shall not pass".
Jazz ? Is this jazz ? Some will say no,this is not; but what is jazz ? Jazz is the music of freedom,and also the response against racism,ragging,all kinds of humiliations, and non respect.So, this is definetely a jazz record,of course, but more than this,a great moment of music and love for all the victims of the men's madness.
Jazz ? Is this jazz ? Some will say no,this is not; but what is jazz ? Jazz is the music of freedom,and also the response against racism,ragging,all kinds of humiliations, and non respect.So, this is definetely a jazz record,of course, but more than this,a great moment of music and love for all the victims of the men's madness.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Haden's strongest and most heartfelt work
6 Jan 2000
Format:Audio CD
I know that I am biased because this album had a more profound effect on me than any other recording I have ever experienced. In part this is due to the collaboration between Haden and Carla Bley. They put together an extraordinary mix of tonal folk music, brass band sounds, Spanish melodies and free jazz that never sound forced. Each piece logically blends into the next even when the styles are clearly being juxtaposed. Haden's sound and his ideas are beautiful from beginning to end. Also, his restraint. Imagine putting out a full-length album where you only solo about three times! But he more than makes up for it with his strong and clear supporting bass lines. This album leaves a little room for everyone on the session to have a say. Whenever I play it for my students they too, are left speechless. Who says politics and art can't mix. They do so to great end on this album. Also, the arrangement on Silence is perfect. It builds from Cherry's solo trumpet to a full orchestrated sound and when Carla Bley completes the piece with solo piano at its end . . . there are no words to describe the catharsis that takes place. This album is a masterpiece that should never be allowed to be out of print.
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