Review from DownBeat Magazine (by Paul de Barros):
Carla Bley's longtime trio with bassist Steve Swallow and British saxophonist Andy Sheppard played one of the more memorable sets at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, and this studio recording is a brilliant extension of their camaraderie. The album offers three suites that highlight Bley's deft sense of dramatic development, her gifts as a soloist (so often overshadowed by her composing) and the trio's deadpan minimalism and subtly organic interplay. The pianist, 81, recently had surgery for a brain tumor, so the title (and title track) have deep personal resonance. The four parts of the opening suite play out like a little story about mortality, beginning with a slow and sexy blues. After a playful, quick dance in 3 comes the crash: a tense piano pulse, Swallow's hooting bass guitar chewing on dissonance, Sheppard switching from keening soprano to virile tenor, then everyone slowing down to a stop, with a final tolling bell. Bley's ability to embrace such dichotomies lies at the heart of her genius. The noirish "Beautiful Telephones" -- which takes its title from Donald Trump's commentary on White House decor after moving in -- manages to be both ominous and emotionally expressive. The trio has no drummer, so there's a lot of air between notes, and sometimes the players pair up. During Bley's long and rich career, there have been times when her work has merely seemed smart, but not emotionally resonant. Here, it's both, and her trio is all in for life -- as long as it lasts.
https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/life-goes-on
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Resena de DownBeat Magazine (por Paul de Barros):
El trio de larga data de Carla Bley con el bajista Steve Swallow y el saxofonista britanico Andy Sheppard protagonizo uno de los sets mas memorables del Big Ears Festival en Knoxville, Tennessee, y esta grabacion de estudio es una brillante extension de su camaraderia. El album ofrece tres suites que destacan el certero sentido del desarrollo dramatico de Bley, sus dotes como solista (tan a menudo eclipsadas por su faceta compositiva) y el minimalismo deadpan del trio con su sutil interaccion organica. La pianista, de 81 anos, se habia sometido recientemente a una cirugia por un tumor cerebral, por lo que el titulo (y el tema titular) tienen una profunda resonancia personal. Las cuatro partes de la suite de apertura se desarrollan como una pequena historia sobre la mortalidad, comenzando con un blues lento y sensual. Tras un vivaz baile en 3 llega el choque: un tenso pulso de piano, el bajo guitarra bramador de Swallow masticando la disonancia, Sheppard alternando entre soprano agudo y tenor viril, hasta que todos se detienen con una campana final. La capacidad de Bley para abrazar tales dicotomias es el corazon de su genio. El oscuro "Beautiful Telephones" -- cuyo titulo alude al comentario de Donald Trump sobre la decoracion de la Casa Blanca al llegar -- logra ser a la vez inquietante y emocionalmente expresivo. El trio no tiene baterista, por lo que hay mucho aire entre las notas, y a veces los musicos se emparejan. A lo largo de la larga y rica carrera de Bley, hubo momentos en que su trabajo parecio meramente inteligente pero no emotivo. Aqui, es ambas cosas, y su trio esta entregado a la vida, mientras dure.
https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/life-goes-on