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One of the outlets for bassist Charlie Haden's multifarious musical interests is the politically charged, progressive Liberation Music Orchestra. In July 1992, the Orchestra - a powerhouse of some of the top names in jazz - brought the collaborative sound of their album Dream Keeper to the Montreal International Jazz Festival. The African National Congress anthem, "Nkosi Sikelel'I Afrika," opens the program and sets the tone, with a blistering solo from the alto sax of Makanda Ken McIntyre and a more reflective one by tenor giant Joe Lovano. A suite-like series of traditional melodies from Latin America, plus a cry of defiance from the Spanish Civil War, follow; then Haden and his troops deliver a mix of rapture, joyous celebration and introspective interludes inside Carla Bley's stirring arrangements. The bill winds up with Haden's own "Spiritual," whose every heartfelt phrase seems to denote the tired joy of emancipation.
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