A fairly traditional jazz ballad, “The Bat” tells its tale in a slightly unconventional way.
Instead of the usual sequence of head/solos/head, we have the theme presented in sax/guitar unison, to be followed by a long guitar solo, a bass passage, and finally a sax/guitar reprise.
What elevates this composition is the presence of Jack DeJohnette. Pat’s guitar solo is incredibly expressive, but wouldn’t be the same without Jack’s highly emotive cymbal work. This applies equally to Charlie’s segment. People can crack wise about bass solos, but Mr. Haden’s talent for simple beauty is unmatched.
With DeJohnette’s sensitive accents, this isn’t just a solo: it’s a story within a story.
Up next: Turnaround
[amazon_enhanced asin=”B000WR3FKS” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B000WR1IL6″ container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B000025Z02″ container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]
- How Eric Clapton’s ‘Me and Mr. Johnson’ Made the Case for British Blues - March 20, 2024
- Why Todd Rundgren’s ‘Back to the Bars’ Remains So Powerful - December 13, 2023
- Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’ - September 11, 2023