Tag Archives: Charlie Haden

Charlie Haden – Rambling Boy

Rambling Boy

“Charlie Haden – Rambling Boy”: the feature legth documentary presents the life and work of Charlie Haden. The film is set to be released in Europe by the end of 2008. An airdate for TV in Switzerland, Germany and Austria will be follow soon. After three years in production, the filmmakers are currently in the final stages of editing and adding the appropriate music to the documentary.

From the get-go it was clear for both director Reto Caduff and subject that the film has to go beyond the generic filmed music story: an intimate look at the music and life of one of Jazz’ most inspiring and influential musicians. With access to Haden’s own personal archive, film sequences shot during concerts and recording sessions, interviews with an incredible  selection of friends and collaborators and great archival footage, the documentary will please diehard jazz fans as well as the newly initiated.

The new album Rambling Boy will be released on Sept. 23.

Charlie Haden remembers Jimmy Blanton

“He was amazing. Duke Ellington’s band came through St. Louis and played a dance—back then it was dances and not concerts. Afterward Duke went back to the hotel to sleep, and all the musicians went to an after-hours session. This young bass player was playing, and these guys flipped out. They went back and woke up Duke Ellington, and brought him to the session. Duke hired Jimmy on the spot, and the band left St. Louis with two bass players. Jimmy Blanton made all those records in 1940 and ’41, and then he got what they called “consumption” back then, tuberculosis. He got very sick in L.A. and they had to leave him in a sanitarium. He had no family there; he was by himself in a little isolated cabin. Milt Hinton told me he went there every day to see him. Milt was playing in Cab Calloway’s band at that time, and every night they’d dedicate a song to him. Milt said he was there when Jimmy took his last breath. He was 23 years old. But if you’ve ever heard him play … man!”