Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra, Pasadena, CA. 22 September 1983 (Video)
Time capsule shows 80s L.A. version of Orchestra
Videographer and 80s L.A. archivist John J. Hunt recently posted footage of a Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra concert he taped on 22 September 1983, at a rally in Pasadena, CA. 1983 was the year Charlie released Ballad Of The Fallen. I’ve never seen this before, and never knew it existed. It’s a snapshot of a brief incarnation of the Orchestra that featured Bobby Bradford, Ernie Watts, Nels Cline (who much later joined rock band Wilco), and other Los Angeles players. Thanks to Mr. Hunt for making it widely available.
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Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra
Rally for Victims Of War in El Salvador
Brookside Park, Pasadena, CA.
22 September 1983
Videography by John J. Hunt
Charlie Haden - bass
Milcho Leviev - conductor, electric piano, glockenspiel
Ernie Watts - saxophone
John Carter - saxophone
Marty Krystall - saxophone
Bobby Bradford - trumpet
Jeff Elliott - trumpet, flugelhorn
Ken Wiley - french horn
Tom Heasley - tuba
Doug Wintz - trombone
Nels Cline - guitar
William Jeffrey - drums, percussion
All words & images © 2025 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.
Again, wonderful stuff! One of highlights is Milcho Leviev's face close up. The man is focused and gone in the space of music at the same time.