Concierto: Six Voices, One Quiet Room
Extraordinary players and extraordinary restraint — nobody seems interested in proving anything.
Concierto (1975) is one of those albums where the lineup almost distracts you from the music. Jim Hall is joined by Paul Desmond, Chet Baker, Roland Hanna, Ron Carter and Steve Gadd—a combination that looks more like a fantasy booking than a studio date. But the remarkable thing is how little the album feels like a showcase.
Hall is very much the center of it, but he never tries to dominate the room. His guitar has that familiar clarity and restraint, leaving plenty of space around each phrase. Desmond's alto and Baker's trumpet fit naturally alongside him, their softer, conversational voices creating a front line that feels almost weightless. Behind them, Carter and Gadd provide a rhythm section capable of much more muscle than Hall actually needs, while Hanna fills out the harmony without crowding it. Don Sebesky's arrangements give the music shape without taking away that sense of space.
The centerpiece is the nearly twenty-minute Concierto de Aranjuez, Joaquín Rodrigo's classical guitar concerto, which Hall turns into something distinctly his own. It isn't an attempt to outdo Miles Davis and Gil Evans's version on Sketches of Spain. Instead, Sebesky opens the piece up for these particular musicians, giving Desmond, Baker and Hall room to respond to one another. Desmond's entrance alone tells you what kind of interpretation this is: understated, lyrical and completely uninterested in showing off.
What makes the album special is precisely that combination of extraordinary players and extraordinary restraint. Nobody seems particularly interested in proving anything. They listen, leave space, and let the character of the music emerge between the notes.
If you're exploring Jim Hall, Concierto is an essential detour—not because it sounds like his most typical record, but because it puts his particular way of playing in conversation with some remarkable musicians. And when Hall, Desmond and Baker are all this relaxed, you don't really need much else.
Who's playing
Ron Carterbass
“Sir” Roland Hannapiano
Jim Hallguitar
Paul Desmondalto saxophone
Chet Bakertrumpet
Steve Gadddrums
Where next?
More by Jim Hall
All 46 albums →
The musicians on this record
Chet Baker Sings 1954
Chet Baker
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
1975: The Duets 1976
Paul Desmond
plays alto saxophone here
plays alto saxophone here
Blues Farm 1973
Ron Carter
plays bass here
plays bass here
