The Art of the Song

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	(favorable) [1]
Allmusic	[2]

John Sharpe in All About Jazz wrote, "The Art Of The Song is an evocative collection of sombre ballads, immaculately performed..."[1] while Richard S. Ginell of Allmusic writes "Frankly, this sounds like the work of a weary musician."[2]

1. "Lonely Town" (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, Adolph Green) – 5:30
2. "Why Did I Choose You" (Michael Leonard, Herbert Martin) – 7:23
3. "Moment Musical, Op. 16, No. 3 in B minor" (Sergei Rachmaninoff) – 5:36
4. "In Love in Vain" (Jerome Kern, Leo Rubin) – 5:05
5. "Ruth's Waltz" (Charlie Haden, Arthur Hamilton) – 4:14
6. "Scenes from a Silver Screen" (Alan Broadbent) – 6:24
7. "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life" (Cy Coleman, Joseph A. McCarthy) – 6:15
8. "You My Love" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Mack Gordon) – 4:24
9. "Prelude en La Mineur" (Maurice Ravel) – 5:14
10. "The Folks Who Live On the Hill" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 6:56
11. "Easy on the Heart" (Haden, Hamilton) – 4:54
12. "Theme for Charlie" (Jeri Southern) – 4:07
13. "Wayfaring Stranger" (Traditional) – 4:23

Charlie Haden Quartet West

• Charlie Haden – bass, lead vocal on "Wayfaring Stranger"
• Alan Broadbent – piano, arranger, conductor, orchestration
• Larance Marable – drums
• Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone

Guest musicians

• Murray Adler – violin, conductor, concertmaster, orchestra contractor
• Bill Henderson – vocals on "Why Did I Choose You", "Ruth's Waltz", "You My Love", "Easy on the Heart"
• Shirley Horn – vocals on "Lonely Town", "In Love in Vain", "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life", "The Folks Who Live on the Hill"

Orchestra

• Ezra Kliger – violin
• Gina Kronstadt – violin
• Don Palmer – violin
• Robert Peterson – violin
• Kathleen Robinson – violin
• Robert Sanov – violin
• Harry Shirinian – violin
• Paul Shure – violin
• Rachel Sokolow – violin
• Marcy Vaj – violin
• Francine Walsh – violin
• Tibor Zelig – violin
• Charlie Bisharat – violin
• Robert Brosseau – violin
• Bobby Bruce – violin
• Israel Baker – violin
• Russ Cantor – violin
• Suzanna Giordono – viola
• Steve Gordon – viola
• Paolo Gozzetti – viola
• Mimi Granat – viola
• Carol Mukagawa – viola
• Earl Madison – cello
• Ray Kelley – cello
• Suzie Katayama – cello
• Jerry Kessler – cello
• Larry Corbett – cello
• Adrian Rosen – bass

Production notes

• Charlie Haden – producer
• Ruth Cameron – producer
• Daniel Richard – executive Producer
• Jean-Philippe Allard – executive Producer
• Orrin Keepnews – liner notes
• Jay Newland – engineer, mastering, mixing, mixing engineer
• Dann Michael Thompson – engineer, mixing
• Glen Kolotkin – mastering
• Maureen Murphy – release coordinator
• John Newcott – release coordinator
• Carol Friedman – photography, cover photo
• Patrice Beausejour – art direction
• Greg Allen – photography