Denny Zeitlin
Charlie Haden
Time Remembers One Time Once
Denny Zeitlin piano
Charlie Haden bass
Recorded live at Keystone Korner, San Francisco, July 1981
Engineer: Robert Shumaker
Produced by Manfred Eicher
Recorded in the intimate confines of San Francisco’s legendary Keystone Korner, Time Remembers One Time Once brings together the insight of bassist Charlie Haden and the masterful keys of Denny Zeitlin. Zeitlin is that rare breed of musician who holds down a stable, highly regarded day job—in his case, as a clinical professor of psychiatry—while keeping abreast of the jazzier side of life. Now in his early seventies, Zeitlin is still going strong in both the office and the studio. Although these lives would seem utterly separate—as a musician he goes by “Denny,” while as a professional he is known as “Dennis”—Zeitlin finds an abiding passion in both. And indeed, after the vampy, kalimba-like intro of Haden’s “Chairman Mao,” we find intimations of both in the soft thrum of its therapy. Haden makes for an ideal partner in this regard, as with each return he plays with our expectations, working his magic with a ceremonious smolder. Like its title, “Bird Food” (Coleman) scatters itself along the ground of our sonic attention and nibbles at it in thematic piles. The joining of this duo creates some of the most sweeping sounds here. In the wake of such uplift, the tenderness of an old standby, “As Long As Their’s Music,” is magic to the ears. Laying down his smooth pianism over a pulpy firmament of bass, Zeitlin cradles us with paternal care into the arms of the title track. This goes down just as smoothly, like the honeyed tune that it is, and walks to the beat of its own heart. A gossamer precursor to Jasmine, “Love For Sale” is another lozenge of goodness. Haden brings his liturgical magic to the slow-moving cadenza that is his “Ellen David,” while Coltrane’s “Satellite” pairs gorgeously with another old-timer, “How High The Moon.” Luiz Eça’s “The Dolphin” also goes down easy, leaving us with nothing but a clean aftertaste from this unsung slice of ECM pie.
We all know that Haden can do no wrong, yet after listening to this out-of-print recording (though it is available digitally) it’s clear that neither can Zeitlin. A discovery to be treasured time and again.
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Thanks for your appreciation of this wonderful album, which has stood the test of time very well. However, I have to object to your “Bill Evans-esque” adjective for Zeitlin’s style. This is misleading. He was influenced somewhat by Evans early on, but even more by other luminaries ranging from Coltrane, Miles Davis, George Russell and Ornette Coleman to Bartok, Debussy and Scriabin. Zeitlin’s music — even if it were limited to only his four Columbia albums of the 1960s — ranges in scope far beyond Evans in its searching qualities, dazzling lyricism and harmonic sophistication. (No knock intended on Bill.) Zeitlin is also one of the most technically brilliant jazz pianists ever — and still doing it age 88!
Thank you so much for the comment! And yes, I am afraid that comparison was the fault of my younger self, who didn’t know any better 😉 I have removed the offending adjective and replaced it with something more appropriate to his craft. I appreciate these kinds of corrections, as I am still learning about jazz as I go along.
Thanks for the reply, Tyran, and you made a good choice of replacement word. The four Zeitlin Columbia albums I mentioned are titled “Cathexis,” “Carnival,” “Live at the Trident” and “Zeitgeist.” Superb distillations of what he has to offer, and all recorded when he was still in his 20s.