Photos: Charlie Haden and Ernie Watts ; Gretchen Parlato

Words later. Here are three images (photo credit: Roger Thomas) from last night at the Barbican.

(Above) You've got him Roger. That's a happy Charlie Haden, man.

(Middle) Haden watching on as Ernie Watts soars, roars in altissimo.

(Below)The Gretchen Parlato freestage, with Kendrick Scott on drums. A palpable but quiet buzz among the musicians, who turned out in unprecedented force. But the sense, perhaps, that the buzz is soon going to get a lot louder.

Gretchen Parlato freestage at Barbican Saturday 21st

Some very good news for Saturday: singer Gretchen Parlato is appearing on the Barbican freestage this Saturday at with a trio of top-flight New Yorkers Taylor Eigsti, Piano, Kendrick Scott Drums and Alan Hampton Bass.

It's just part of the Barbican Charlie Haden weekend.

Here's the full programme, which has been expanded and added to quite a bit since we did THIS PREVIEW. There's a live recording of Jazz Library with Charlie Haden:

Saturday 21 May

6pm - Gretchen Parlato, Barbican Freestage FREE

8pm - Quartet West,
with guests Melody Gardot, Liane Carroll, Ruth Cameron
Barbican Hall

Sunday 22 May

5.30pm – BBC Radio Jazz Library with Charlie Haden, Fountain Room FREE

6.45pm – Robert Mitchell 3io, Barbican Freestage FREE

8pm – Liberation Music Orchestra, Barbican Hall


More about Parlato: Sarah Ellen Hughes' review of her 2010 London Jazz Festival gig was our most-read piece about the festival. It's a great read:

Sarah concluded: "Parlato [...] forces us to re-think some of the basics of what jazz singing is about. And that can only be a very good thing."

And China Moses wrote in a comment: "She's is great! I have such a singer's crush !!"

Here's the full piece


Photo credit: Birmingham Jazz