• Track Listing

Simultaneously looking back and forward in his music development, Bruce Cockburn's twentieth album The Charity of Night represents a shift from his earlier folk influenced song-writing towards a focus on jazz that will be reflected in more of his future works.

The album has a cohesive theme of reflection and memory that runs throughout, and is one of his most personal and revealing albums as Cockburn recalls events of his past, taking stock and coming to grips with each. Radio loved "Night Train" and "Pacing The Cage," but the centerpiece of the album is the title song: the realization that "The Charity of Night" provides refuge and peace from the harsh realities exposed in the cold hard light of day.

Musically the album has Cockburn's core backing players of this era: solid bass and drums provided by Rob Wasserman and Gary Craig. Guest Gary Burton provides shimmering vibraphone on three songs, and other guests include Bonnie Raitt, Ani DiFranco, Jonatha Brooke, and Patty Larkin. Acclaimed by fans and critics alike, this album is an essential part of the Cockburn catalog. Due to overwhelming fan demand this double album will be reissued on black 180g vinyl.