RFI: Paul Bley

I have an ECM record from a few years ago with him Peacock and Motian - a reunion of an older trio - very good stuff. It's called "Not Two, Not One"

I must confess I don't actually know what "extended techniques" means here.

Also check: the two albs he recorded for ESP in 64 - 'Barrage', an alb of all Carla Bley compositions feat. Marshall Allen on sax, Eddie Gomez on bass and Milford Graves on drums, and 'Turning Point' w/ Gary Peacock, Paul Motian and John Gilmore on tenor! (Bley often seems to attract v. v. classy collaborators - not only Ornette and Don but also Charles Mingus and Art Blakey v. early on his career.)

'Ramblin'', a trio alb he cut for BYG, features a great, sprightly cover of the Coleman title tune; the track can be found on that nice BYG triple set that Moore and Coley put together a few years back

Bley (and Annette Peacock's) experiments w/ electronic keyboards formed the basis of their group the Synthesiser Show: some of these recordings have been reished on disc in the US, three years or so ago, but a good comprehensive set wld be v. handy for a better, deeper pic. The stuff I've heard takes some getting used to - Sextant it ain't - but does suggest options/paths not taken developed when it came to the production of improvised music on non-acoustic instruments

More recently, Bley has recorded some great trio recs w/ Evan Parker and Barre Phillips for ECM in acoustically special locations (eg a European monastery.) They share a kind of chamber music sensibility w/ those superfine Giuffre trio albs mentioned by dylan

Bley is def. interesting for being a modernist/free pianist who doesn't obv. work under the sign of Cecil (his Monkish tendencies are more pronounced) and who truly seems to incorporate just abt every style of historical jazz/improv piano in his playing

I'll be over in a few minutes.

for some reason, i'd also call the sound "rounded". It's as though the avant tendencies center around chords that are augmented and sound rich, rather than spikey.

there's also something about the velocity of the notes, the way the keys seem to be struck slowly or fully.

for me Bley's appeal is a kind of fresh or honest love of the more obvious elements of the piano, whereas Taylor et. al. are more edgey, ironic, outside.

'Ramblin'', a trio alb he cut for BYG, features a great, sprightly cover of the Coleman title tune; the track can be found on that nice BYG triple set that Moore and Coley put together a few years back

Ramblin' and the other BYG alb Closer are two of my faves. The ECM solo alb Open, To Love is another. Barrage gets a ton of critical acclaim. If you like Ornette, you'll probably be open to Barrage. Ward describes Barrage & Turning Point to advantage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX3qBHKq2YU

RIP

Bummer. Loved Fragments in college and Open to Love is one of the best solo piano records ever. Must dig into his synthesizer stuff now.

RIP - a ton of stuff I've never dug into, but yeah, Open To Love is incredible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2fp4QsZly0

I always loved this Ida Lupino (which, btw, was written by his wife):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYnrtXiA0TA

The whole Closer record is really good, and I also love a record he made with Motian/Peacock in the late 90s called Not Two Not One, and there's a lot of other good stuff, and a lot of stuff I haven't even explored.

just ordered this one on recommendation from a friend
http://cdn.discogs.com/ZtPtJm_5m1JNl8N4lPixGN6b03c=/fit-in/280x281/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(96)/discogs-images/R-1652828-1278966670.jpeg.jpg
live stuff from 65 and 66

A very overlooked player. I've always had a soft spot for this session:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/Ballads_(Paul_Bley_album).jpg

May he rest well.

I haven't heard too much besides Barrage, but I looove Barrage. And his interview/performance segments in Imagine The Sound (out of print on DVD, but I think it's on iTunes) are fascinating.

R.I.P.

Damn, RIP

Usually not into trying to investigate the private lives of artists I like, but I've never been totally clear on something, and Google, oddly enough, turns up nothing: so Paul was married to Carla, played in a group with Annette and her husband Gary, who later divorced (?) and then Paul and Annette married? Assuming it was all very evolved and sophisticated, as (iirc) Gary P and Paul played together after this happened, and Paul (and Gary, I believe!) continued performing Carla's material until his death. Do I have this chronology right?

I think that's right and they both together as ex-husbands released an album called Annette which was made up of her songs.

Assuming it was all very evolved and sophisticated

Carla Bley has some shit to say about Paul in this interview. (The way she always says his full name - "Paul Bley" - makes me wish I could hear the audio of this conversation.)

That Carla Bley interview is fantastic, thanks for that. What a cool person. I disagree with her on many points, but her authority and candor (and irreverence!) has me reevaluating a few of my long-held assumptions. Her takes on Powell and Ellington are outrageous, though.

even though she's dumping on two of my biggest heroes there, I absolutely love her style!

would fp anyone on here saying Bud Powell plays too many notes tho!

Right? That interview was a treasure. I love her perspective and glad she was so candid.

I always felt Sonny Rollins could be an exemplar of "never meet your musical heroes, cos they are all complete arrogant dicks" - especially in his younger days.

Really? See, I always figured Sonny would be cool.

I was also surprised / disappointed to read about how Cherry treated Carla.

Surely we can all agree that Ornette was probably the best hang of all: no fear of him nodding out, seemingly unflappable, total PMA vibes...

the Not Two, Not One trio with Motian + Peacock has some sublime moments of inspired minimalist low register piano grinding experimentation that makes me want more!

really swings as well.

I love that record!

blood, closer, sankt gerold, the 80's quartet one with Surman-Frissell-Motian, mondsee solo, are albums I've been fucking with a lot recently - so good.

The upcoming live album - recorded in 1999 with the aforementioned Not Two, Not One trio of Gary Peacock and Paul Motian - is a good one.

excellent!

Ethan Iverson has been posting about what a top album Footloose is, he's right!