Quincy Jones • This Is How I Feel About Jazz

 

www.quincyjones.com ... 

 

Charles Mingus Sextet With Eric Dolphy • Cornell 1964

 

 

Review
by Thom Jurek 
In 2005, Blue Note raised the eyebrows (and expectations) of the jazz world by issuing the previously unreleased Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane Carnegie Hall concert from November of 1957 that literally replaces the few other recordings of the group both sonically and musically. In 2007, courtesy of Charles Mingus' widow Sue, with the help of Michael Cuscuna and Blue Note, gives us another heretofore unknown bit of jazz history with the Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy's Cornell University Concert from March 18, 1964. The reason this gig is significant is because apparently, not only didn't anybody know it was recorded, according to Gary Giddins, who wrote the (typically) excellent liners here, no one but the people who put on the show and the students who attended even knew it had taken place! The other reason for its historic importance is that it took place 17 days before the famed Town Hall concert and predated other European shows by the band by at least a month. This is significant because trumpeter Johnny Coles took ill shortly after, and Dolphy passed away a few months later. Until now, the Town Hall gig was the standard for this band, but it is safe to say with this current revelation that it will be replaced in the annals of the canon. This band -- Mingus, Dolphy, Coles, Jaki Byard, Dannie Richmond, and Clifford Jordan -- played perhaps definitive renditions of some Mingus tunes worked out previously at the Five Spot where he assembled the group, and were presumed to have first been performed, and recorded, at Town Hall. Much of the material was also performed on the European tour that followed and climaxed with an appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

These two discs contain a number of debuts and some absolutely startling solos beginning with Byard's solo set opener "ATFW You," which is four-and-a-half minutes of genius and jazz history. Mingus' solos with skeletal Byard backing on "Sophisticated Lady" for another few minutes before the band takes off in earnest with a raucous yet amazingly playful half-hour version of "Fables of Faubus," that dazzles, to say the least, in large part because of the utterly inspired bass playing by the bandleader, and the embedded quotes from corny American folk songs to popular tunes to Chopin. Another debut here is the sextet version of Billy Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train," which Mingus had only recorded before with a big band. The differences, as one can imagine, are striking, particularly in Jordan's solo. The introduction of "Meditations" on the second disc of this set is simply shattering. Over half-an-hour in length, it offers once more the genius in Byard's playing and underscores Richmond as far more than a rhythmnatist, and Coles as a soloist who could hang with anybody. Of particular note is the interplay between Jordan and Dolphy's bass clarinet: the tune once more embodies the best of Mingus' thought and inspiration as it takes solid note of the lineage of the music and extends it into the future.

"So Long Eric" also appears here, since at the time of this recording, he was leaving the band, and this piece was a thanks for his contribution to Mingus' music and not the elegy it has been consistently thought of (Giddins points this out). Another welcome surprise here is the sextet performing a six-minute rendition of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (St. Patrick's Day was the day before), kicked off by a jaunty, swinging intro by Byard and Mingus. As the melody becomes pronounced the horns all kick in in unison, and Coles takes a wonderful solo, swinging hard and lyrical with wonderful counterpoint by Mingus and timely fills and comping by Byard, as a jazz version of a reel played by Dolphy on clarinet can be heard in the background. The final surprise is the only known recording of Mingus playing Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz," with killer duo played between Dolphy on flute and Byard. Throughout, Mingus' bass urges them on, digging deep into the groove of the tune, and the dialogue between Mingus and Richmond is nearly telepathic. Despite all of these debuts, there is another very profound reason that this recording is so utterly special, which Giddins reveals near the beginning of his liner notes. There is a kind of exuberance and joy on this set that offers another side of the mercurial and stormy bandleader. Seldom has he sounded so at ease and relaxed as he does here. The confidence in the ensemble is complete, and he feels no need to push but only to encourage and tale delight in the proceedings. This short-lived group proves, as evidenced here, that they were a magical unit that may not have been around as long as Miles Davis' second quintet, or John Coltrane's quartet, but as under-celebrated as its various musicians were -- Coles, Richmond, and especially Byard -- the band itself was as innovative and creative even in the brevity of its existence. This double-disc is every bit as important as the Monk-Coltrane disc, and sounds very fine for a tape that has been sitting in a closet for over 40 years: it truly needs to be heard to even be believed, let alone convinced.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/cornell-1964-mw0000480163

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Reseña
por Thom Jurek
En 2005, Blue Note levantó las cejas (y las expectativas) del mundo del jazz al publicar el concierto inédito de Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane en el Carnegie Hall de noviembre de 1957, que literalmente sustituye a las pocas grabaciones del grupo tanto sonora como musicalmente. En 2007, por cortesía de la viuda de Charles Mingus, Sue, con la ayuda de Michael Cuscuna y Blue Note, nos ofrece otro trozo de historia del jazz hasta ahora desconocido con el concierto del Sexteto de Charles Mingus con Eric Dolphy en la Universidad de Cornell del 18 de marzo de 1964. La razón por la que este concierto es significativo es porque, aparentemente, no sólo nadie sabía que se había grabado, sino que, según Gary Giddins, que escribió los (típicos) excelentes forros aquí, ¡nadie más que la gente que organizó el espectáculo y los estudiantes que asistieron sabían que había tenido lugar! La otra razón de su importancia histórica es que tuvo lugar 17 días antes del famoso concierto del Town Hall y fue anterior a otros espectáculos europeos de la banda durante al menos un mes. Esto es significativo porque el trompetista Johnny Coles enfermó poco después y Dolphy falleció unos meses más tarde. Hasta ahora, el concierto del Town Hall era el estándar de esta banda, pero es seguro decir con esta revelación actual que será reemplazado en los anales del canon. Esta banda -Mingus, Dolphy, Coles, Jaki Byard, Dannie Richmond y Clifford Jordan- tocó versiones quizá definitivas de algunos temas de Mingus elaborados previamente en el Five Spot, donde reunió al grupo, y que se presume que fueron interpretados y grabados por primera vez en el Town Hall. Gran parte del material también se interpretó en la gira europea que siguió y que culminó con una aparición en el Festival de Jazz de Monterey.

Estos dos discos contienen una serie de debuts y algunos solos absolutamente sorprendentes, comenzando con el primer solo de Byard, "ATFW You", que son cuatro minutos y medio de genialidad e historia del jazz. Los solos de Mingus con el esquelético apoyo de Byard en "Sophisticated Lady" duran unos minutos más antes de que la banda se lance en serio con una estridente pero increíblemente juguetona versión de media hora de "Fables of Faubus", que deslumbra, por no decir otra cosa, en gran parte por el inspiradísimo toque de bajo del líder de la banda, y las citas incrustadas de cursis canciones folclóricas americanas, melodías populares y Chopin. Otro debut aquí es la versión para sexteto de "Take the 'A' Train" de Billy Strayhorn, que Mingus sólo había grabado antes con una big band. Las diferencias, como se puede imaginar, son notables, sobre todo en el solo de Jordan. La introducción de "Meditations" en el segundo disco de este conjunto es simplemente estremecedora. Con más de media hora de duración, ofrece una vez más la genialidad de Byard y subraya que Richmond es mucho más que un rítmico, y que Coles es un solista que puede estar a la altura de cualquiera. Cabe destacar la interacción entre Jordan y el clarinete bajo de Dolphy: la melodía encarna una vez más lo mejor del pensamiento y la inspiración de Mingus, ya que toma buena nota del linaje de la música y lo extiende hacia el futuro.

"So Long Eric" también aparece aquí, ya que en el momento de esta grabación, él estaba dejando la banda, y esta pieza era un agradecimiento por su contribución a la música de Mingus y no la elegía que se ha pensado sistemáticamente (Giddins señala esto). Otra grata sorpresa es que el sexteto interpreta una versión de seis minutos de "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (el Día de San Patricio fue el día anterior), iniciada por una introducción alegre y oscilante de Byard y Mingus. A medida que la melodía se va pronunciando, las trompas entran al unísono, y Coles hace un maravilloso solo, con un swing fuerte y lírico, con el maravilloso contrapunto de Mingus y los oportunos rellenos y composiciones de Byard, mientras se oye de fondo una versión jazzística de un rollo tocado por Dolphy al clarinete. La sorpresa final es la única grabación conocida de Mingus tocando el "Jitterbug Waltz" de Fats Waller, con un dúo asesino entre Dolphy a la flauta y Byard. En todo momento, el bajo de Mingus les impulsa, profundizando en el ritmo de la melodía, y el diálogo entre Mingus y Richmond es casi telepático. A pesar de todos estos debuts, hay otra razón muy profunda por la que esta grabación es tan especial, que Giddins revela al principio de sus notas. Hay una especie de exuberancia y alegría en este conjunto que ofrece otra cara del mercurial y tormentoso director de orquesta. Pocas veces ha sonado tan a gusto y relajado como aquí. La confianza en el conjunto es total, y no siente la necesidad de presionar, sino sólo de animar y deleitarse con las actuaciones. Este grupo de corta vida demuestra, como se evidencia aquí, que era una unidad mágica que puede no haber estado tanto tiempo como el segundo quinteto de Miles Davis, o el cuarteto de John Coltrane, pero por muy poco celebrados que fueran sus diversos músicos - Coles, Richmond, y especialmente Byard - la banda en sí era tan innovadora y creativa incluso en la brevedad de su existencia. Este doble disco es tan importante como el de Monk-Coltrane, y suena muy bien para una cinta que ha estado guardada en un armario durante más de 40 años: realmente hay que escucharlo para creerlo, por no decir convencerlo.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/cornell-1964-mw0000480163

Charles Mingus • Debut Rarities, Vol.2

 

Review from AllMusic (by Scott Yanow):
These are early Mingus recordings that emphasize his talents as a bassist. Tracks one through nine match Mingus with pianist Spaulding Givens in a duo setting from 1951, while tracks 10-15 add the drums of Max Roach for trio performances from 1953. The music is tasteful chamber jazz featuring mostly standards plus some originals. Of greatest interest are the two versions of Jeepers Creepers and three interpretations of Gershwin material. Mingus already had a beautiful tone and would evolve greatly during the next decade.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/debut-rarities-vol-2-mw0000617314

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Reseña de AllMusic (por Scott Yanow):
Estas son grabaciones tempranas de Mingus que enfatizan sus talentos como bajista. Las pistas uno a nueve emparejan a Mingus con el pianista Spaulding Givens en un formato de dúo de 1951, mientras que las pistas 10-15 agregan la batería de Max Roach para interpretaciones en trío de 1953. La música es jazz de cámara de buen gusto con principalmente estándares más algunos originales. De mayor interés son las dos versiones de Jeepers Creepers y tres interpretaciones de material de Gershwin. Mingus ya tenía un tono hermoso y evolucionaría enormemente durante la próxima década.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/debut-rarities-vol-2-mw0000617314

www.charlesmingus.com ...

Mingus Big Band 93 • Nostalgia In Times Square

 

www.charlesmingus.com ...

Better Git It in Your Soul: An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus

 

 

Charles Mingus is one of the most important—and most mythologized—composers and performers in jazz history. Classically trained and of mixed race, he was an outspoken innovator as well as a bandleader, composer, producer, and record-label owner. His vivid autobiography, Beneath the Underdog, has done much to shape the image of Mingus as something of a wild man: idiosyncratic musical genius with a penchant for skirt-chasing and violent outbursts. But, as the autobiography reveals, he was also a hopeless romantic. After exploring the most important events in Mingus’s life, Krin Gabbard takes a careful look at Mingus as a writer as well as a composer and musician. He digs into how and why Mingus chose to do so much self-analysis, how he worked to craft his racial identity in a world that saw him simply as “black,” and how his mental and physical health problems shaped his career. Gabbard sets aside the myth-making and convincingly argues that Charles Mingus created a unique language of emotions—and not just in music. Capturing many essential moments in jazz history anew, Better Git It in Your Soul will fascinate anyone who cares about jazz, African American history, and the artist’s life.

 

Krin Gabbard (Autor)  

 

Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Mingus

  

Bass player extraordinaire Charles Mingus, who died in 1979, is one of the essential composers in the history of jazz, and Beneath the Underdog, his celebrated, wild, funny, demonic, anguished, shocking, and profoundly moving memoir, is the greatest autobiography ever written by a jazz musician.
 
It tells of his God-haunted childhood in Watts during the 1920s and 1930s; his outcast adolescent years; his apprenticeship, not only with jazzmen but also with pimps, hookers, junkies, and hoodlums; and his golden years in New York City with such legendary figures as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie.  Here is Mingus in his own words, from shabby roadhouses to fabulous estates, from the psychiatric wards of Bellevue to worlds of mysticism and solitude, but for all his travels never straying too far, always returning to music.
 
“This book is the purest of dynamite.  Like the autobiographies of Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday and like A. B. Spellman's Four Lives in the Bebop Business, it says more about the American psyche in general and black survival in particular than the sociologists and psychologists ever can in their stiff, soulless vocabularies.... Somber, comic, disturbing, boastful, confessional, sentimental, contradictory, poetic, irascible, impish...lyrical, nasty, angelic, reflective...expressionistic, picaresque, jive...this is a powerful book.”— Rolling Stone

Charles Mingus • A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music & Poetry, 1957

 

Symposium of Music and Poetry Review by Scott Yanow
Despite its title, this album doesn't contain poetry, nor is it a "symposium." What it does have is a memorable narration by Lonnie Elder  on "Scenes in the City" (one of the best collaborations of spoken word and jazz). There are four obscure Charles Mingus compositions for his sextet (which consists of the bassist/leader, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, Shafi Hadi on tenor and alto, either Bill Hardman or Clarence Shaw on trumpet, pianist Horace Parlan, and drummer Dannie Richmond). There are also three previously unreleased performances, including a run-through of Dizzy Gillespie's "Wouldn't You." An excellent set of challenging yet often accessible music. 
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-modern-jazz-symposium-of-music-and-poetry-mw0000175051

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Simposio de música y poesía Reseña de Scott Yanow
A pesar de su título, este álbum no contiene poesía, ni es un «simposio». Lo que sí tiene es una memorable narración de Lonnie Elder en «Scenes in the City» (una de las mejores colaboraciones entre la palabra hablada y el jazz). Hay cuatro composiciones poco conocidas de Charles Mingus para su sexteto (formado por el bajista y líder, el trombonista Jimmy Knepper, Shafi Hadi al saxo tenor y alto, Bill Hardman o Clarence Shaw a la trompeta, el pianista Horace Parlan y el baterista Dannie Richmond). También hay tres interpretaciones inéditas, entre ellas una versión de «Wouldn't You» de Dizzy Gillespie. Un excelente conjunto de música desafiante, pero a menudo accesible.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-modern-jazz-symposium-of-music-and-poetry-mw0000175051

 

Charles Mingus • Incarnations

 

Charles Mingus • Jazz Composers Workshop

 

Charles Mingus • Reincarnations

 

Further rare material from the Charles Mingus sessions for the Candid label in 1960 – work that initially gave the world his two famous albums for the company, both of which were easily some of the most revolutionary work he recorded up to that point in his career! The spirit of the tracks here is very similar – Mingus set free from the more confined modes of Columbia Records, and serving up long tracks that are filled with searing solos from a top-shelf array of young modernists – players who include Eric Dolphy on alto and flute, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Ted Curson and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpets, Booker Ervin on tenor, and Tommy Flanagan on piano – sounding a lot more dynamic here than on his own recordings. The material here was all unissued at the time – and titles include "Melody From The Drums", "Vassarlean", "Body & Soul (take 2)", "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (take 4)", and "Reincarnation Of A Lovebird (first version – take 4)
https://www.dustygroove.com/item/193811/Charles-Mingus:Reincarnations

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Más material inédito de las sesiones de Charles Mingus para el sello Candid en 1960, un trabajo que inicialmente dio al mundo sus dos famosos álbumes para la compañía, ¡ambos fácilmente algunos de los trabajos más revolucionarios que había grabado hasta ese momento en su carrera! El espíritu de las pistas aquí es muy similar: Mingus se liberó de los modos más limitados de Columbia Records y nos ofrece largas pistas llenas de solos abrasadores de una selección de jóvenes modernistas de primer nivel, entre los que se encuentran Eric Dolphy al saxo alto y la flauta, Jimmy Knepper al trombón, Ted Curson y Lonnie Hillyer a la trompeta, Booker Ervin al saxo tenor y Tommy Flanagan al piano, que suenan mucho más dinámicos aquí que en sus propias grabaciones. El material aquí incluido no se había publicado en ese momento, y los títulos incluyen «Melody From The Drums», «Vassarlean», «Body & Soul (take 2)», «Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (take 4)» y «Reincarnation Of A Lovebird (primera versión – take 4)».
https://www.dustygroove.com/item/193811/Charles-Mingus:Reincarnations

Mingus Speaks

Charles Mingus is among jazz’s greatest composers and perhaps its most talented bass player. He was blunt and outspoken about the place of jazz in music history and American culture, about which performers were the real thing (or not), and much more. These in-depth interviews, conducted several years before Mingus died, capture the composer’s spirit and voice, revealing how he saw himself as composer and performer, how he viewed his peers and predecessors, how he created his extraordinary music, and how he looked at race. Augmented with interviews and commentary by ten close associates―including Mingus’s wife Sue, Teo Macero, George Wein, and Sy Johnson―Mingus Speaks provides a wealth of new perspectives on the musician’s life and career.

As a writer for Playboy, John F. Goodman reviewed Mingus’s comeback concert in 1972 and went on to achieve an intimacy with the composer that brings a relaxed and candid tone to the ensuing interviews. Much of what Mingus shares shows him in a new light: his personality, his passions and sense of humor, and his thoughts on music. The conversations are wide-ranging, shedding fresh light on important milestones in Mingus’s life such as the publication of his memoir, Beneath the Underdog, the famous Tijuana episodes, his relationships, and the jazz business.

 

 

John Goodman (Author), Sy Johnson (Photographer)  

Red Norvo Trio • Move !

 

 

Charles Mingus • In Argentina The Buenos Aires Concerts

 

Mingus In Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts is a never-before-released pair of recordings of legendary bassist Charles Mingus captured live in Buenos Aires, Argentina in June 1977 featuring Ricky Ford (tenor saxophone), Jack Walrath (trumpet), Robert Neloms (piano) and Dannie Richmond (drums). Transferred from the original tape reels the 2-CD set includes an elaborate 36-page booklet featuring rare photos from the concert with liner notes by author and jazz historian Brian Priestley; plus interviews with Ricky Ford and Jack Walrath. This is an official release in cooperation with Jazz Workshop, Inc. and the Charles Mingus Estate. 
https://www.jazzmessengers.com/es/103871/charles-mingus/mingusinargentina

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Mingus en Argentina: Los conciertos de Buenos Aires es un álbum inédito con dos grabaciones del legendario bajista Charles Mingus, captadas en directo en Buenos Aires, Argentina, en junio de 1977, con Ricky Ford (saxo tenor), Jack Walrath (trompeta), Robert Neloms (piano) y Dannie Richmond (batería). Transferido desde las cintas originales, el conjunto de 2 CD incluye un elaborado folleto de 36 páginas con fotos poco comunes del concierto y notas del autor e historiador del jazz Brian Priestley, además de entrevistas con Ricky Ford y Jack Walrath. Se trata de un lanzamiento oficial en colaboración con Jazz Workshop, Inc. y el patrimonio de Charles Mingus.
https://www.jazzmessengers.com/es/103871/charles-mingus/mingusinargentina

Charles Mingus • Mingus, The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's

 

Charles Mingus • Something Like a Bird

 

Charlie Parker • The Happy 'Bird'

 

Charles Mingus • Mingus Dynasty

 

 

Paul Bley • A Free Spirit

 

Biography by arwulf arwulf
Pianist Paul Bley took the styles and techniques associated with Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Bill Evans to new levels of creative experimentation, becoming an indispensable force in modern music by combining the best elements in bop and early modern jazz with extended free improvisation and procedural dynamics often found in 20th-century chamber music. This approach places him in league with such diverse artists as Red Garland, Mal Waldron, Jaki Byard, Andrew Hill, Sun Ra, and Marilyn Crispell. Even a cursory overview of Bley's life and work can be pleasantly overwhelming, for he is among the most heavily recorded of all jazz pianists and his story is inextricably intertwined with the evolution of modern jazz during the second half of the 20th century. His three dates with Jimmy Giuffre's trio, most notably 1961's Free Fall, were landmark studies in vanguard modalism. With Barrage from 1965 and Mr. Joy from 1968, the pianist became familiar to many American jazz fans. In the early '70s, Bley issued the piano solo offering Open, To Love -- it remains his most prophetic and lyrical solo offering, laying out the juxtapositions for pointillism and space that would mark his career. He also resumed working with Giuffre during the late part of the decade and into the early '80s. Bley was prolific in the 1990s as a leader and as a collaborator. He took part in several historic dates, including Annette with Franz Koglmann and Gary Peacock, Memoirs with Charlie Haden and Motian, a pair of ECM trio dates with Barre Phillips and Evan Parker (Time Will Tell and Sankt Gerold Variations), and Not Two, Not One with Peacock and Motian. Bley began the 21st century as active as he had left the 20th, working as a collaborator with Kenny Millions, Mario Pavone, and a young Jakob Bro. The final two recordings credited to Bley as a leader were solo offerings: the studio album About Time, in 2007, and Play Blue (Oslo Concert), recorded in 2008 but unissued until 2014.

Hyman Paul Bley was born in Montreal, Canada, on November 10, 1932. A violin prodigy at five, he began playing piano at eight and studied at the McGill Conservatorium, earning his diploma at age 11. Before long, Hy "Buzzy" Bley was sitting in with jazz bands and had formed his own group. Already a skilled pianist, he landed a steady gig at the Alberta Lounge soon after Oscar Peterson left to begin working for Norman Granz in 1949. The following year, Bley continued his musical education at the Juilliard School in New York while gigging in the clubs with trumpeter Roy Eldridge, trombonist Bill Harris, and saxophonists Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, and Charlie Parker. While enrolled at Juilliard, he played in a group with trumpeter Donald Byrd, saxophonist Jackie McLean, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. He also hung out at Lennie Tristano's residential studio, absorbing ideas. During the 1980s, Bley was restless: he recorded for acclaimed dates for Soul Note, SteepleChase (including a duo-led set with Chet Baker entitled Diane), ECM, and Owl.

The 1990s marked Bley's most prolific period as a recording artist. He toured constantly, recorded often, and took part in several historic recordings including Annette, with Franz Koglmann and Peacock, and Time Will Tell, with Barre Phillips and Evan Parker. The latter grouping toured extensively and in 2000 issued Sankt Gerold Variations on ECM. While he didn't issue nearly as much (comparatively, at least) under his own name for the remainder of his life, Bley was an active collaborator and sideman, working with everyone from Mario Pavone and Andreas Willers to Benjamin Koppel and Jakob Bro, while his discography as both leader and sideman saw many titles reissued.

Paul Bley's earliest known recordings survive as soundtracks from Canadian television; the first was in 1950 with tenor saxophonist Brew Moore and the second in February 1953 with Charlie Parker, special invited guest of the Montreal Jazz Workshop, an artist-run organization Bley helped to establish. His first studio recording date took place in November 1953 with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Art Blakey. The young pianist's constant interaction with archetypal and influential musicians was phenomenal; he also sat in with trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonist Lester Young. In 1954 he led three different recording sessions with bassists Peter Ind and Percy Heath, and drummer Alan Levitt. At this stage of his career, Paul Bley was an inspired, extremely adept bop pianist whose first decisively innovative period was just about to commence.

The plot thickened when Bley moved to California in 1957 and began holding down a steady engagement at the Hillcrest Club in Los Angeles, where he was recorded in 1958 with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins. He also performed with Canadian trumpeter Herb Spanier and recorded an album with vibraphonist Dave Pike, featuring liner notes and one composition by Karen Borg, a brilliant musician who married the pianist in 1957 and changed her name to Carla Bley. In 1959, the Bleys moved to New York City, where they continued to interact with musicians who were operating on the cutting edge of modern jazz, including multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk, saxophonist and composer Oliver Nelson; composer and bandleader George Russell; composer, bassist, and bandleader Charles Mingus; trumpeter and bandleader Don Ellis; bassists Gary Peacock and Steve Swallow; drummer Pete La Roca; and multi-reedman Jimmy Giuffre. In 1961, Paul Bley made his first visit to Europe.

In 1963, Bley toured Japan with Sonny Rollins and participated in the tenor saxophonist's historic jousting session with Coleman Hawkins. The following year, Paul and Carla Bley accepted trumpeter Bill Dixon's invitation to join the Jazz Composer's Guild. This brought them into direct contact with Austrian-American composer and trumpeter Michael Mantler; trombonists Bennie Green and Roswell Rudd; saxophonists Archie Shepp and John Tchicai; and pianist Cecil Taylor. Bley, who also worked with saxophonist Albert Ayler, taped a session with tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Paul Motian, and then began recording for the independent ESP-Disk label.

Barrage featured a quintet with bassist Eddie Gomez, drummer Milford Graves, and two musicians who, like Gilmore, were closely affiliated with Sun Ra: trumpeter Dewey Johnson and altoist Marshall Allen. All of the pieces were composed by Carla Bley. Recorded in 1965 and released as Closer, the first of many albums involving drummer Barry Altschul featured works by Carla Bley, Ornette Coleman, and Gary Peacock's wife, Annette Peacock. Several trio projects materialized in Scandinavia during the years 1965-1966; from this point on, Bley would spend increasing amounts of time performing and recording in Europe.

Soon after he was divorced from Carla Bley in 1967, Paul Bley married composer and vocalist Annette Peacock. As was the case with Carla, the influence of this woman upon Paul Bley was profound and lasting, as he combined his own continuously evolving improvisational methodology with her intriguing tonal formations. She sometimes sang with Bley's groups as he began to experiment with electronic instrumentation including ARP and Moog synthesizers. Recorded in December 1970 and January 1971, an album called the Paul Bley Synthesizer Show spotlighted the futuristic instrument backed by multiple players including drummers Bobby Moses and Han Bennink. In 1972, the Bley/Annette Peacock partnership was dissolved.

Two years later, Bley and his new companion, video artist Carol Goss, founded the Improvising Artists record label. Soon they set precedents for the gradually emerging format of music videos. During two back-to-back sessions in 1974, Bley introduced to the scene a pair of promising young musicians: guitarist Pat Metheny and bassist Jaco Pastorius. Bley and Goss were married in 1980 and soon moved the Improvising Artists operation out of New York City to Cherry Valley in central New York State. The '80s saw Bley reaffirming his links with the Canadian music scene while engaging in recording projects with saxophonist John Surman; guitarists John Abercrombie, John Scofield, and Bill Frisell; bassists Jesper Lundgaard, Red Mitchell, Ron McClure, and Bob Cranshaw; and drummers George Cross McDonald, Aage Tanggaard, Keith Copeland, and Billy Hart.

Throughout the '90s, Paul Bley's creative activities became ever more diverse and international in scope. This healthy tendency was epitomized by a hat ART album bearing the title 12 (+6) In a Row, recorded in Boswil, Switzerland, during May 1990 with flügelhornist Franz Koglmann and clarinetist/saxophonist Hans Koch. Other collaborations from this period involved vibraphonist Gary Burton, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and vocalist Tiziana Ghiglioni. In 1993, Bley, now a faculty member of the New England Conservatory of Music, released an album of piano solos with overdubbed synthesizers called Synth Thesis. His seemingly inexhaustible appetite for creative interaction with modern improvisers led him to record with trumpeter Kenny Wheeler; saxophonists Lee Konitz, Evan Parker, and Ralph Simon; guitarist Sonny Greenwich; bassists Jay Anderson, Dave Young, and Barre Phillips; drummers Stich Wynston, Adam Nussbaum, and Bruce Ditmas; pianists Satoko Fuji, Stéphan Oliva, and Hans Ludemann; and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, as well as poet and vocalist Paul Haines. In 1997, Bley was heard with an ensemble led by bassist and composer Maarten Altena.

During the first decade of the 21st century, Bley recorded with saxophonists Keshavan Maslak, François Carrier, and Yuri Honing; guitarist Andreas Willers; bassist Mario Pavone; and vocalist Jeannette Lambert. He also released several solo albums, including 2004's Nothing to Declare, 2008's About Time, and 2014's Play Blue: Oslo Concert, which documented his 2008 performance at the Oslo Jazz Festival. Bley was also named a member of the Order of Canada in 2008, in honor of his contributions to jazz.

Bley died of natural causes on January 3, 2016, at his Florida home. He was 83 years old. In 2019, ECM issued the archival When Will the Blues Leave, a trio concert with Peacock and Motian captured in Switzerland in 1999. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-bley-mn0000745617#biography

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Biografía de arwulf arwulf
El pianista Paul Bley llevó los estilos y técnicas asociados con Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly y Bill Evans a nuevos niveles de experimentación creativa, convirtiéndose en una fuerza indispensable en la música moderna al combinar los mejores elementos del bop y el jazz moderno temprano con una improvisación libre extendida y dinámicas de procedimiento que a menudo se encuentran en la música de cámara del siglo XX. Este enfoque lo coloca en alianza con artistas tan diversos como Red Garland, Mal Waldron, Jaki Byard, Andrew Hill, Sun Ra y Marilyn Crispell. Incluso una visión superficial de la vida y obra de Bley puede resultar agradablemente abrumadora, ya que se encuentra entre los pianistas de jazz más grabados y su historia está inextricablemente entrelazada con la evolución del jazz moderno durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX. Sus tres citas con el trío de Jimmy Giuffre, sobre todo Free Fall de 1961, fueron estudios emblemáticos en el modalismo de vanguardia. Con Barrage de 1965 y Mr. Joy de 1968, el pianista se hizo familiar para muchos fanáticos del jazz estadounidense. A principios de los 70, Bley lanzó la oferta de piano solo Open, To Love remains sigue siendo su oferta solista más profética y lírica, presentando las yuxtaposiciones de puntillismo y espacio que marcarían su carrera. También reanudó su trabajo con Giuffre a fines de la década y principios de los 80. Bley fue prolífico en la década de 1990 como líder y colaborador. Participó en varias fechas históricas, incluidas Annette con Franz Koglmann y Gary Peacock, Memoirs con Charlie Haden y Motian, un par de fechas del trío ECM con Barre Phillips y Evan Parker (Time Will Tell y Variaciones de Sankt Gerold), y Not Two, Not One con Peacock y Motian. Bley comenzó el siglo XXI tan activo como había dejado el XX, trabajando como colaborador de Kenny Millions, Mario Pavone y un joven Jakob Bro. Las dos últimas grabaciones acreditadas a Bley como líder fueron ofertas en solitario: el álbum de estudio About Time, en 2007, y Play Blue (Concierto de Oslo), grabado en 2008 pero sin publicar hasta 2014.

Hyman Paul Bley nació en Montreal, Canadá, el 10 de noviembre de 1932. Prodigio del violín a los cinco años, comenzó a tocar el piano a los ocho y estudió en el Conservatorio McGill, obteniendo su diploma a los 11 años. En poco tiempo, Hy "Buzzy" Bley estaba sentado con bandas de jazz y había formado su propio grupo. Ya era un pianista habilidoso, consiguió un concierto estable en el Alberta Lounge poco después de que Oscar Peterson se fuera para comenzar a trabajar para Norman Granz en 1949. Al año siguiente, Bley continuó su educación musical en la Juilliard School de Nueva York mientras tocaba en clubes con el trompetista Roy Eldridge, el trombonista Bill Harris y los saxofonistas Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins y Charlie Parker. Mientras estaba inscrito en Juilliard, tocó en un grupo con el trompetista Donald Byrd, la saxofonista Jackie McLean, el bajista Doug Watkins y el baterista Art Taylor. También pasaba el rato en el estudio residencial de Lennie Tristano, absorbiendo ideas. Durante la década de 1980, Bley estaba inquieto: grabó para aclamadas fechas de Soul Note, SteepleChase (incluido un set dirigido por un dúo con Chet Baker titulado Diane), ECM y Owl.

La década de 1990 marcó el período más prolífico de Bley como artista discográfico. Realizó giras constantemente, grabó a menudo y participó en varias grabaciones históricas, incluidas Annette, con Franz Koglmann y Peacock, y Time Will Tell, con Barre Phillips y Evan Parker. Esta última agrupación realizó una extensa gira y en 2000 publicó Variaciones de Sankt Gerold sobre ECM. Si bien no emitió casi tanto (comparativamente, al menos) bajo su propio nombre durante el resto de su vida, Bley fue un colaborador activo y acompañante, trabajando con todos, desde Mario Pavone y Andreas Willers hasta Benjamin Koppel y Jakob Bro, mientras que su discografía como líder y acompañante vio reeditados muchos títulos.

Las primeras grabaciones conocidas de Paul Bley sobreviven como bandas sonoras de la televisión canadiense; la primera fue en 1950 con el saxofonista tenor Brew Moore y la segunda en febrero de 1953 con Charlie Parker, invitado especial del Montreal Jazz Workshop, una organización dirigida por artistas que Bley ayudó a establecer. Su primera fecha de grabación en estudio tuvo lugar en noviembre de 1953 con el bajista Charles Mingus y el baterista Art Blakey. La interacción constante del joven pianista con músicos arquetípicos e influyentes fue fenomenal; también se sentó con el trompetista Chet Baker y el saxofonista Lester Young. En 1954 dirigió tres sesiones de grabación diferentes con los bajistas Peter Ind y Percy Heath, y el baterista Alan Levitt. En esta etapa de su carrera, Paul Bley era un pianista inspirado y extremadamente hábil de la bop cuyo primer período decisivamente innovador estaba a punto de comenzar.

La trama se complicó cuando Bley se mudó a California en 1957 y comenzó a mantener un compromiso estable en el Hillcrest Club de Los Ángeles, donde grabó en 1958 con el saxofonista Ornette Coleman, el trompetista Don Cherry, el bajista Charlie Haden y el baterista Billy Higgins. También actuó con el trompetista canadiense Herb Spanier y grabó un álbum con el vibrafonista Dave Pike, con notas y una composición de Karen Borg, una brillante músico que se casó con la pianista en 1957 y cambió su nombre a Carla Bley. En 1959, los Bley se mudaron a la ciudad de Nueva York, donde continuaron interactuando con músicos que operaban a la vanguardia del jazz moderno, incluido el multiinstrumentista Roland Kirk, el saxofonista y compositor Oliver Nelson; el compositor y director de orquesta George Russell; el compositor, bajista y director de orquesta Charles Mingus; el trompetista y director de orquesta Don Ellis; los bajistas Gary Peacock y Steve Swallow; el baterista Pete La Roca; y Jimmy Giuffre. En 1961, Paul Bley hizo su primera visita a Europa.

En 1963, Bley realizó una gira por Japón con Sonny Rollins y participó en la histórica sesión de justas del saxofonista tenor con Coleman Hawkins. Al año siguiente, Paul y Carla Bley aceptaron la invitación del trompetista Bill Dixon para unirse al Gremio de Compositores de Jazz. Esto los puso en contacto directo con el compositor y trompetista austríaco-estadounidense Michael Mantler; los trombonistas Bennie Green y Roswell Rudd; los saxofonistas Archie Shepp y John Tchicai; y el pianista Cecil Taylor. Bley, quien también trabajó con el saxofonista Albert Ayler, grabó una sesión con el saxofonista tenor John Gilmore, el bajista Gary Peacock y el baterista Paul Motian, y luego comenzó a grabar para el sello independiente ESP-Disk.

Barrage presentó un quinteto con el bajista Eddie Gomez, el baterista Milford Graves y dos músicos que, como Gilmore, estaban estrechamente afiliados a Sun Ra: el trompetista Dewey Johnson y el altoista Marshall Allen. Todas las piezas fueron compuestas por Carla Bley. Grabado en 1965 y lanzado como Closer, el primero de muchos álbumes con el baterista Barry Altschul presentó obras de Carla Bley, Ornette Coleman y la esposa de Gary Peacock, Annette Peacock. Varios proyectos trío se materializaron en Escandinavia durante los años 1965-1966; a partir de este momento, Bley pasaría cada vez más tiempo actuando y grabando en Europa.

Poco después de divorciarse de Carla Bley en 1967, Paul Bley se casó con la compositora y vocalista Annette Peacock. Como fue el caso de Carla, la influencia de esta mujer sobre Paul Bley fue profunda y duradera, ya que combinó su propia metodología de improvisación en continua evolución con sus intrigantes formaciones tonales. A veces cantaba con los grupos de Bley cuando él comenzó a experimentar con instrumentación electrónica, incluidos los sintetizadores ARP y Moog. Grabado en diciembre de 1970 y enero de 1971, un álbum llamado The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show destacó el instrumento futurista respaldado por varios músicos, incluidos los bateristas Bobby Moses y Han Bennink. En 1972, se disolvió la sociedad Bley/Annette Peacock.

Dos años más tarde, Bley y su nueva compañera, la videoartista Carol Goss, fundaron el sello discográfico Improvising Artists. Pronto sentaron precedentes para el formato gradualmente emergente de videos musicales. Durante dos sesiones consecutivas en 1974, Bley presentó a la escena a un par de jóvenes músicos prometedores: el guitarrista Pat Metheny y el bajista Jaco Pastorius. Bley y Goss se casaron en 1980 y pronto trasladaron la operación de Improvising Artists fuera de la ciudad de Nueva York a Cherry Valley, en el centro del estado de Nueva York. Los años 80 vieron a Bley reafirmar sus vínculos con la escena musical canadiense mientras participaba en proyectos de grabación con el saxofonista John Surman; los guitarristas John Abercrombie, John Scofield y Bill Frisell; los bajistas Jesper Lundgaard, Red Mitchell, Ron McClure y Bob Cranshaw; y los bateristas George Cross McDonald, Aage Tanggaard, Keith Copeland y Billy Hart.

A lo largo de los años 90, las actividades creativas de Paul Bley se volvieron cada vez más diversas y de alcance internacional. Esta saludable tendencia fue personificada por un álbum de hat ART con el título 12 (+6) Seguidos, grabado en Boswil, Suiza, durante mayo de 1990 con el flügelhornista Franz Koglmann y el clarinetista/saxofonista Hans Koch. Otras colaboraciones de este período incluyeron al vibrafonista Gary Burton, el bajista Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen y la vocalista Tiziana Ghiglioni. En 1993, Bley, ahora miembro de la facultad del Conservatorio de Música de Nueva Inglaterra, lanzó un álbum de solos de piano con sintetizadores sobregrabados llamado Synth Thesis. Su apetito aparentemente inagotable por la interacción creativa con improvisadores modernos lo llevó a grabar con el trompetista Kenny Wheeler; los saxofonistas Lee Konitz, Evan Parker y Ralph Simon; el guitarrista Sonny Greenwich; los bajistas Jay Anderson, Dave Young y Barre Phillips; los bateristas Stich Wynston, Adam Nussbaum y Bruce Ditmas; los pianistas Satoko Fuji, Stéphan Oliva y Hans Ludemann; y el violinista Jean-Luc Ponty, así como el poeta y vocalista Paul Haines. En 1997, Bley se escuchó con un conjunto dirigido por el bajista y compositor Maarten Altena.

Durante la primera década del siglo XXI, Play grabó con los saxofonistas Keshavan Maslak, François Carrier y Yuri Honing; el guitarrista Andreas Willers; el bajista Mario Pavone; y la vocalista Jeannette Lambert. También lanzó varios álbumes en solitario, incluidos Nothing to Declare del 2004, About Time del 2008 y Play Blue: Oslo Concert del 2014, que documentó su actuación en el Festival de Jazz de Oslo en el 2008. Bley también fue nombrado miembro de la Orden de Canadá en 2008, en honor a sus contribuciones al jazz.

Bley murió de causas naturales el 3 de enero de 2016 en su casa de Florida. Tenía 83 años. En 2019, ECM publicó el archivo When Will the Blues Leave, un concierto en trío con Peacock y Motian capturado en Suiza en 1999. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/paul-bley-mn0000745617#biography

VA • Be-Bop And Post Bop

 

Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, J.J. Johnson, Wardell Gray, Stan Getz, Lennie Tristano, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Charles Mingus, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey, Miles Davis.

Red Norvo • Chronological Classics