Stéphane Kerecki - Liberation Songs (2025)

With his new album Liberation Songs, double bassist Stéphane Kerecki pays a nuanced tribute to Charlie Haden by reinterpreting his music.

Charlie Haden is one of the jazz musicians I’ve listened to the most — perhaps the artist who has influenced me the most. His beginnings as a singer are what first come to mind. I’ve always believed that’s why this bassist touched me so deeply, because singing was my first instrument at age eight. Haden, however, started singing at the age of two on his family’s radio show.

What mainly influenced me are his personal projects: first his duets with Kenny Barron, Hank Jones, or Pat Metheny, but also his Liberation Music Orchestra, with arrangements by Carla Bley, where he performed revolutionary songs from South America and the Spanish Civil War, surrounded by figures of free jazz such as Don Cherry, Gato Barbieri, Dewey Redman, and Paul Motian. This orchestra recorded few albums, but they were always conceived as reactions to political events — the Vietnam War, the fight for civil rights, the Gulf Wars — rooted in libertarian and committed music.

Haden’s sound is what I cherish most. Perhaps the most beautiful: warm, supple, rich in harmonics, both deep and warm in mid and high ranges, powerful yet never deafening, characterized by a necessary economy of means and always melodic. His musical quality is so widely appreciated probably because Charlie’s sound resembles that of a singer.

I wanted to surround myself with musicians with whom I share both musical and personal affinities. For me, it’s vital that these are musicians who know how to serve the collective. They are not the type to seek the spotlight but instead excel at blending into the moment, building music based on listening and silence.

I participated in Airelle Besson’s project Airès (with Édouard Ferlet), and I had the privilege of contributing to several symphonic projects she composed. As an anecdote, she also played several concerts with the Liberation Music Orchestra during their last tour, and she was praised by Charlie Haden and Carla Bley for her playing. Thomas Savy and I are very close: I participated in two albums under his name (Archipel and Archipel Bleu), and we have performed extensively in quintet and trio formats.

Émile Parisien is another artist with whom I share many musical memories, from working with Yaron Herman (Alter Ego) to my own projects (Nouvelle Vague and French Touch). He’s a unique saxophonist, and I appreciate his energy and kindness. Fabrice Moreau is a musical alter ego: besides being a talented drummer, he’s also an artist with a very personal vision.

Enzo Carniel and Federico Casagrande are two highly talented musicians from this new generation with whom I feel a strong affinity.

Regarding the repertoire, I initially chose hymns: We Shall Overcome, The People United Will Never Be Defeated, and Song of the United Front, which are very powerful melodies. As Haden said: “Most of the songs played by the LMO are beautiful because they were written by people fighting to live in a free society.” There are also three compositions by Haden dedicated to figures of resistance: Sandino, Song for Che, La Pasionaria, and a piece by Ornette Coleman: War Orphans. Finally, there are three pieces without an obvious political message: Spiritual, Silence, and Throughout.

All these pieces speak to spirituality. They address silence (Silence) and being true to oneself in the present moment. This brings in an inherent political dimension of jazz: our silences and spirituality are political in themselves because awareness requires a stance. This spirituality is a way to escape a condition. Whether it’s a specific theme, a character, or a guerrilla movement, these melodies serve as a framework within which thoughts can unfold: a declaration of love for jazz, its unifying power. Because collective music is what truly matters.