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Charlie Haden and His Deadly Nightshade Bassist and bandleader Charlie Haden has consistently been at the heartbeat of modern jazz, whether churning out dissonant sounds as a member of Ornette Coleman's landmark 1959 free-jazz ensemble or laying down profoundly lyrical bass lines with guitarist Pat Metheny on the ethereal 1996 collaboration Under the Missouri Sky (Verve). The roots of Haden's latest project, Nocturne (Verve), goes back more than 20 years when the bassist led his avant Liberation Music Orchestra to Cuba. Nocturne-a stunning collection of boleros from Cuba and Mexico-teams the Haden with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist Joe Lovano, drummer Ignacio Berroa, and violinist Federico Britos Ruiz and brings this remarkable band to the San Francisco Jazz Festival on Wednesday, Oct. 31. How good is it? "In a perfect world," Billboard opined, "the sun would never rise without some jazz radio station having played Nocturne in its entirety. Haden and his cohorts perform at the Herbst Theatre, Van Ness & McAllister, San Francisco. Tickets are $20/$27/$38 Gold Circle. 415-776-1999. For schedule details, check out www.sfjazz.org. [ North Bay | Metroactive Home | Archives ]