Always Say Goodbye

Charlie Haden, Quartet West, Stephane Grappelli

Charle Haden sends his astonishing quartet (including the redoubtable Alan Broadbent and Ernie Watts) into the world of "Music Noir." Taking its form from the seminal noir film "The Big Sleep," the album traces Los Angeles' and (may one say it?) the world's dark underside. Of course there is no doubt that the quartet will emerge triumphant. Using samples from period vocalists and the soundtrack of "The Big Sleep," the album is evocative of that long lost/never existed world of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. This is a must have for all those who are night owls at heart (irrespective of their sleeping patterns). In the words of the film, "What's wrong with you?" says Bogart. "Nothing you can't fix," says Bacall. Nothing the quartet can't fix in this case.