The Carla Bley Band - Carla Bley live!

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1982
Time: 41:39
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 95,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:10) 1. Blunt Object
(7:24) 2. The Lord is Listenin to Ya Hal
(7:59) 3. Time And Us
(9:06) 4. Still in The Room
(4:26) 5. Real Life Hits
(7:30) 6. Song Sung Long

Around 1980, Carla Bley seemed to find herself torn between several possible avenues of expression. On the one hand, you had her wild (and wildly successful) projects like Escalator Over the Hill and Tropic Appetites, where styles and musicians were combined with inspired abandon. Then there was the romantic classical aspect as shown in her composition "3/4" and, with jazz influences, her fine, ambitious Social Studies release.

But, always lurking beneath the surface was her itching desire to have essentially a jazz-rock band, drawing heavily from funk and demonstrating a loose and bawdy humor. Unfortunately, this last impulse was responsible for some of her weaker efforts though, in fairness, it brought her a level of popularity hitherto unreached. Live! demonstrates the pitfalls of this approach.

Though the ten-piece ensemble features some very capable musicians (including altoist Steve Slagle, French horn virtuoso Vincent Chauncey, and electric bassist extraordinaire Steve Swallow), the compositions tend to plod toward their goal and the soloing doesn't rise very far above what one might expect from a David Sanborn session (how one yearns for a youthful Gato Barbieri, a Perry Robinson, or a Don Cherry to inject some life!).

Bley's themes here, once so ravishingly, bitterly gorgeous, are relatively dull or awkward in turn; when she tries her hand at gospel, as on the embarrassingly titled "The Lord is Listenin' to Ya, Hallelujah!," the results are cringe-inducing. Swallow has a nice introduction to "Still in the Room" and Earl McIntyre on tuba and trombonist Gary Valente do their best to get things rolling, but the lackluster compositions and leaden drumming (by D. Sharpe) never allow the project to take off. Listeners looking for prime Carla Bley would do better to search out her earlier, far more adventurous and creative work.
By Brian Olewnick https://www.allmusic.com/album/carla-bley-live%21-mw0000191553#review

Personnel: Carla Bley - organ, glockenspiel, piano (track 3); Michael Mantler - trumpet; Steve Slagle - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute; Tony Dagradi - tenor saxophone; Vincent Chancey - French horn; Gary Valente - trombone; Earl McIntyre - tuba, bass trombone; Arturo O'Farrill - piano, organ (track 3); Steve Swallow - bass guitar; D. Sharpe - drums

Carla Bley live!

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Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow - Life Goes On

Styles: Piano, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:44
Size: 130,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:00) 1. Life Goes On: Life Goes On
(4:46) 2. Life Goes On: On
(4:10) 3. Life Goes On: And On
(9:02) 4. Life Goes On: And Then One Day
(4:35) 5. Beautiful Telephones - Pt. 1
(6:13) 6. Beautiful Telephones - Pt. 2
(6:16) 7. Beautiful Telephones - Pt. 3
(5:29) 8. Copycat: After You
(0:17) 9. Copycat: Follow The Leader
(9:51) 10. Copycat: Copycat

The endless staircases of M.C. Escher’s castles don’t demand a soundtrack to be appreciated, but if you bask in Carla Bley’s “Copycat” while absorbing a few of the Dutch artist’s impossible labyrinths, you might be in for extra fun. One of Life Goes On’s three micro-suites, Bley’s piece arrives with a process mandate: Each line of the group’s performance should be an echo or variation of the preceding line. That leads to a wonderfully fluid symmetry. The choices pour forth, pensively at first, and then puckishly, as is often the esteemed composer’s wont. The fourth album in a quarter-century’s worth of collabs by the buoyant trio of the pianist, bassist Steve Swallow, and saxophonist Andy Sheppard, Life Goes On teems with the kind of balance that has marked their previous discs, but it also boasts an extra dose of eloquence.

Though I’m still citing the band’s masterpiece as 2013’s “Utviklingssang” (as finely cut a jewel as the MJQ’s “Django”), the level of detail at work on this latest disc is unmistakable. “Beautiful Telephones,” the pianist’s gibe at 45’s cluckish oogling over the Oval Office’s squawkbox, glows with the ominous tone of an étude penned by Bernard Herrmann. Bley knows we’re in deep shit these days, so her allusion to Chopin’s “Funeral March,” along with wry references to “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle,” and other American chestnuts indicts us all for allowing Trumpian freedom to ring. As each passage inches forward, Sheppard’s concise moves match Swallow’s plush choices. The group’s chemistry is ultra-refined at this late date; the carefully calibrated sharing of duties brings a quizzical serenity to this improv-slanted chamber music.

Bley has told interviewers she’d like to be writing for a big band, but current economics demand a more scaled-down stance. No worries. The 81-year-old’s trademark humor still gets its moments in the sun. For example: “Copycat” ends a 15-minute-long parade of slippery tradeoffs with a curt three-note phrase that finds each musician in perfect accord. Same place, same time, at last. Feel free to put your grinning-face emoji right there.~ Jim Macnie https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/carla-bley-andy-sheppard-steve-swallow-life-goes-on-ecm/

Personel: Piano – Carla Bley; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Andy Sheppard; Bass – Steve Swallow

Life Goes On

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Carla Bley, Steve Swallow - Are We There Yet?

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:27
Size: 108.6 MB
Styles: Avant garde jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[ 3:34] 1. Major
[ 7:13] 2. A Dog's Life
[ 8:41] 3. Satie For Two
[ 5:14] 4. Lost In The Stars
[ 4:37] 5. King Korn
[ 4:41] 6. Playing With Water
[13:24] 7. Musique Mecanique Part I, Part II, Part III

Carla Bley and Steve Swallow's third outing as a duo captures them live on their 1998 European tour sounding fabulous. Three of the seven tunes are by Bley: "Major," an infectious triadic shell game; "King Korn," a whimsical run through rhythm changes in the keys of E flat and C; and "Musique Mecanique," an ambitious three-part suite adapted from Bley's 1978 album of the same name. Three other compositions are by Swallow: "A Dog's Life," a Ray Charles-style tune in a slow 6/8; "Satie for Two," an affecting tribute to the minimalist composer; and "Playing With Water," a bossa nova previously performed by Swallow's 1991 sextet. The only non-original of the set is Kurt Weill's ballad "Lost in the Stars," which Bley and Swallow play beautifully.

Bley's piano is remarkably versatile and passionate, and Swallow's signature electric bass sound tickles the senses, especially during the Weill song where one moment he makes the room vibrate with low notes, and the next reaches the stratosphere of his range with singing melodies. ~David R. Adler

Are We There Yet? mc
Are We There Yet? zippy

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Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard & Steve Swallow - Trios

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:17
Size: 129,0 MB
Art: Front

( 7:55)  1. Utviklingssang
( 7:22)  2. Vashkar
(14:59)  3. Les Trois Lagons (D'apres Henri Matisse): Plate XVIi - Plate XVIII - Plate XIX
(11:34)  4. Wildlife
(14:24)  5. The Girl Who Cried Champagne: Pt. 1, 2, 3

In a career more defined by memorable compositions than instrumental acumen, it's easy to forget that Carla Bley may not be the most virtuosic pianist on the planet, but she's a far more than capable one, as evidenced on duo recordings like Are We There Yet? (Watt, 1999), with life partner/bassist Steve Swallow, and Songs With Legs (WATT, 1995), a trio date with longtime collaborator, saxophonist Andy Sheppard also heard in Bley's larger ensemble of Appearing Nightly (Watt/ECM, 2008) and quartet session, The Lost Chords (Watt/ECM, 2004). On Swallow's recent Into the Woodwork (XtraWATT/ECM, 2013), Bley proved a clever, quirky and comedic organist; with Trios an album that, perhaps for the first time ever, features absolutely no new compositions Bley reunites the Songs With Legs trio, refocusing attention on her thoughtful, precise piano work. That's not to suggest there isn't still a clever compositional mind at work in these fresh, intimate arrangements of music ranging from Bley's elegiac "Utviklingssang," her most-recorded ballad that first appeared on Social Studies (Watt, 1981), to lesser-known but still previously recorded suites including "The Girl Who Cried Champagne," from the aptly titled Sextet (Watt, 1987) and "Wildlife," heard for the first time on the larger ensemble session Night-Glo (Watt, 1986). Only the dark-hued "Vashkar" one of Bley's most well-known tunes, having appeared on Tony Williams' fusion classic Lifetime (Polydor, 1969) and, most recently, on John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana's Invitation to Illumination: Live at Montreux 2011 (Eagle Vision, 2013) is played on record by Bley for the first time. 

Driven by Swallow's superb time all the more essential to a group's without a drummer Bley's reading of "Vashkar" opens with the pair exploring its mid-eastern modality for a full ninety second before Sheppard comes in, on soprano, to double its memorable yet quirky melody with Bley's right hand. Sheppard's star has been on the ascendancy for years, but most recently on the superb Trio Libre (ECM, 2012), his second recording as a leader for the label. Here, he demonstrates the same kind of care-ridden patience, his solo reflecting a trio whose ears are wide open, meticulously responding to each others' every move. Even as they adhere to the song's form, there's the sense that were this to be immediately followed by another take, it would be an entirely different experience. 

Swallow introduces "Utviklingssang" alone, its haunting melody soon joined by Bley, whose thoughtful introduction of a contrapuntal theme and spartan supporting chords yield to sparer accompaniment still when Sheppard finally enters. While time is something to which the trio adheres carefully when required Swallow's inimitable swing fundamental to the first section of "Les Trois Lagons (d'après Henri Matisse)" Trios' ultimate beauty is in the interpretive nuances that allow time to be ever-so-slightly pliant subtly stretched and compressed to imbue these five pieces with their own personalities. The balance of the program consists of longer, multipart compositions, but remains underscored by the same attention to detail. 

Without muss or fuss, Bley, Swallow and Sheppard have, with Trios, created that most perfect of chamber records, filled with shrewd surprises and a delicate dramaturgy that reveals itself further with each and every listen. ~ John Kelman   http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/profile.php?id=398

Personnel: Carla Bley: piano; Andy Sheppard: tenor and soprano saxophones; Steve Swallow: bass.

Trios

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The Swallow Quintet - Into the Woodwork

Styles: Jazz
Label:  Ecm Records
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:20
Size: 129,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:19)  1. Sad Old Candle
(5:03)  2. Into the Woodwork
(5:35)  3. From Whom It May Concern
(5:02)  4. Back in Action
(4:43)  5. Grisly Business
(2:49)  6. Unnatural Causes
(2:53)  7. The Butler Did It
(4:26)  8. Suitable for Framing
(5:29)  9. Small Comfort
(5:33) 10. Still There
(5:35) 11. Never Know
(3:47) 12. Exit Stage Left

In the press sheet for Steve Swallow's Into the Woodwork, the award-winning electric bassist is quoted, saying: "Good humor before and after the red light goes on is very important. Music-making should be fun, after all." Those fortunate enough to see Swallow with Steve Kuhn and Joey Baron this past summer including a memorable stop at the 2013 TD Ottawa Jazz Festival experienced this ethos first-hand, as smiles and outright laughter defined a performance that was, indeed, great fun, but just as deep musically the ultimate consequence of musicians so relaxed with each other that nothing can get in the way. Into the Woodwork may lack the visuals, but it's clear that this quintet is having just as much fun, and is comfortable enough together to allow anything to happen albeit within the structures of Swallow's writing. 

Other than life/music partner Carla Bley focusing solely on organ and begging the question why she doesn't do so more often this is a new constellation under the Swallow marquee, but guitarist Steve Cardenas and saxophonist Chris Cheek have intersected before, both with each other and with Swallow and Bley, in Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band and Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, respectively. Drummer Jorge Rossy best-known for his decade-long tenure with Brad Mehldau was a late addition, writing Swallow after hearing of the nascent quartet to ask if he might join in, and his melodic approach makes him the perfect choice to drive this book of 12 new Swallow compositions. Swallow's has already achieved a place in the history books for memorable compositions like "Falling Grace," "Olhos del Gato" and "Como en Vietnam," but it's too early to tell if any of Into the Woodwork will join that rarefied group. Still, the through-composed, dark-hued "Sad Old Candle," vivacious title track, balladic "From Who It May Concern" and drum-heavy "Back in Action" Rossy's call-and-response with the rest of the group occupying a full half of its five-minutes before a quirky, dissonant theme resolves into Cheek's fiery solo, driven by Swallow and Rossy's effortless, unrelenting swing are individually memorable while, segued together as a 21-minute suite, contribute to Into the Woodwork greater continuity. 

The same approach links the blues-drenched "Grisly Business," brighter "Unnatural Causes" and ambling "The Butler Did It," before a brief pause leads into the album's closing tracks, joined together for 25 episodic minutes. In the midst of these five tunes, following Cardenas' warm-toned, melody-centric solo, "Still There" features Bley liberally and mischievously quoting the American folk song "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and the military "Taps."That's just one example of Into the Woodwork's relentless spontaneity ... and good humor. The writing may be deep and the playing even deeper Swallow's bass rarely feeling this rich or filled with ideas but at its heart is a group that more than likely shares the same onstage smiles and laughter that Swallow did with Kuhn. It's been 13 years since Swallow last recorded with a full-sized quintet, but Into the Woodwork represents a new group and repertoire that easily stands amongst his best work in a career now entering its sixth decade.~John Kelman 

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=45165#.UikneT-wVw8

Personnel: Chris Cheek: tenor saxophone; Steve Cardenas: guitar; Carla Bley: organ; Steve Swallow: bass; Jorge Rossy: drums.

Into the Woodwork

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