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Article: The Bassist Who Set Jazz Free; Charlie Haden Turned a Hillbilly Heritage Into Music That Knew No Bounds
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 2, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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His father would introduce baby Charlie as "the yodelin' cowboy,"
even at age 2. "We had a morning radio show and an afternoon radio
show. And getting ready for that show we rehearsed the songs over and
over again. That's how I learned harmony. My mom used to say I'd hum
harmony with her when she sang me to sleep."
Tonight, bassist Charlie Haden, who helped invent modern jazz,
springing the music free from predictable dance hall rhythms and
melodies, brings his Quartet West to George Mason University's Center
for the Arts. But more than 50 years ago, long before playing concert
halls, Haden was developing his musical chops in the living room of
his parents' house in Shenandoah, Iowa.
"The ...