CD ECM Records Charlie Haden, Egberto Gismonti: In Montreal

1989
Charlie Haden - contrabas
Egberto Gismonti - chitara, pian

In 1989, the Montreal Jazz Festival celebrated the achievements of bassist Charlie Haden in a series of special concerts. Arguably the most exceptional performance in the series - and certainly the one that took Haden furthest from strict definitions of 'jazz' - was his concert with Brazilian guitarist-pianist Gismonti, released now for the first time on the label that has been Egberto's home for more than a quarter-century: ECM.

'First there were the soft silences, then the bright tropical colours, and when their concert peaked, it became a dancing, joyous celebration of life' - Montreal Gazette. 'In Montreal' is an historic concert recording, and its release on ECM a major event.

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Jazz Zeit, CD des Monats

In Montreal documents the reunion performance of bassist Charlie Haden and Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer Egberto Gismonti at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal in 1989. It’s a small jewel. ... It features Gismonti and Haden exploring several Gismonti classics and a couple of Haden’s pieces. Gismonti alternates here between piano and acoustic guitar. On both instruments he has a distinctly clean, crisp touch, and here and there he underlines his ideas with a flourish. It’s a style that plays well off Haden’s rich, booming sound and thoughtful, almost elemental lines. ... Lyrical, playful and intense, In Montreal captures a quite memorable night of music. For those of us who were not lucky enough to have been there, this is the next best thing.
Fernando Gonzalez, DownBeat

Charlie Haden’s bass accompanies, weaves solos, and contributes significantly as a partner. Egberto Gismonti is as melodic on piano as he is on guitar. Filled with a deep sense of passion, the duo offers dreamy originals that recall Spanish classical guitar as well as French romance. Swing is not an issue. Instead, the focus is on ballads that speak gently to the audience with soothing, dancelike rhythms. Both artists, quite fond of lyric passion, move confidently through their sketched melodies and planned harmony. The impressions resemble activities engaged in on a damp Winter’s afternoon. Throughout this live session, Haden strokes planned and improvised melodies with somber affection. Gismonti employs piano cascades and acoustic guitar tremolos with a modicum of spirit. An adventurous attitude moves in and out of the work. Both Haden and Gismonti perform with such deep feeling and classical appreciation, that their historical encounter should not be missed.
Jim Santella, L.A. Jazz Scene

The tracks rove across stylistic boundaries. Some, especially those in which Gismonti concentrates on guitar are atmospheric and trance-like. Other pieces - Haden's "First Song", for example combine bass and piano into luxuriously harmonic, jazz-tinged settings. And Gismonti's work on a few of his own melodic numbers, including "Pelhaco", cannily combine bebop articulation with sudden bursts of rhapsodic passion. Is it jazz? Call it an aural expression that eludes definition. But it certainly is music that could only have been made by players who understand the essential qualities of the jazz experience, enhanced by Haden's capacity to move freely without regard for musical restrictions. It's part of what makes him one of the jazz world's most compelling artists.
Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

"In Montreal" chronicles a reunion performance. It features Gismonti and the bassist playing a set comprising mostly Gismonti classics - several of them drawn from the repertoire of his marvellous 1980s Brazilian band Academia de Dancas. Gismonti alternates here between piano and acoustic guitar. On both instruments he has a distinctly clean, crisp touch, and here and there underlines his ideas with a technical flourish. It's a style that plays well off Haden's rich, booming sound and deceptively elemental lines. Virtuosos tend to create an illusion of ease while playing their instruments. Instead, Haden's style seems a reminder of the sheer physicality involved in playing the acoustic bass..."In Montreal" features two terrific musicians with something to say and the talent to say it well. Just that. What a pleasure.
Fernando Gonzalez, Washington Post

This live album is amazing in its scope, power and beauty. On guitar or piano, Gismonti often sounds as if he's playing two instruments at once, combining fierce rhythms with shapely melodies while Haden's warm, rich bass broadens the music with grainy texture and depth...Gismonti and Haden always add twists to the rhythms and angles to the melodies, making the music prismatic.
Steve Israel, Times Herald Record

As would be expected from two such masters of their instruments, the standard of music-making is hugely impressive, and the pair play together as if they never did anything else, bouncing ideas around and sparking mutual inspiration in dazzling fashion.
Kenny Mathieson, Jazzwise

For sheer excitement, the bass and guitar pieces work best, Gismonti wielding the ten-string acoustic axe. His lines tangle and replicate like lianas around Haden’s dark wood bass sound. Wonderful.
Garry Booth, Jazz Review