Don Ellis - Out Of Nowhere

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:24
Size: 105,1 MB
Art: Front

(6:11)  1. Sweet And Lovely
(4:28)  2. My Funny Valentine
(4:39)  3. I Love You ( Take 2 )
(3:33)  4. I'll Remember April
(3:41)  5. Just One Of Those Things
(3:47)  6. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
(6:10)  7. All The Things You Are
(3:45)  8. Out Of Nowhere
(3:32)  9. Just One Of Those Things (take 5)
(5:36) 10. I Love You (take 1)

This formerly unknown date was released for the first time on this 1988 CD; chances are that the short-lived Candid label died before the music could be put out. Don Ellis, one of the most original trumpeters to emerge in the early 1960's, performs ten standards on a trio session with pianist Paul Bley and bassist Steve Swallow (who was making his recording debut) but the music is far from routine or predictable. Ellis takes an unaccompanied trumpet solo on "Just One Of Those Things," "All The Things You Are" is a trumpet-bass duet and Ellis interacts with Bley on a moody "My Funny Valentine." The players constantly take chances with time but there are few slipups or hesitant moments. A fascinating and long-lost session. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/out-of-nowhere-mw0000202922

Personnel:  Don Ellis - trumpet; Paul Bley - piano; Steve Swallow - bass

Out Of Nowhere

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Charles Mingus - Incarnations

Styles: Post Bop, Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 42:49
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 98,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:27) 1. Bugs (Take 3)
(11:50) 2. R&R (Take 1)
( 4:50) 3. All The Things You Are (All)
( 6:58) 4. Reincarnation of a Love Bird (2nd Version Take 1)
(10:41) 5. Body And Soul (Take 6)

A collection of recordings culled from Charles Mingus' 1960 sessions on the Candid label, 2024's Incarnations is a swinging yet still heady album that finds the bassist bridging the mainstream jazz of the '40s and '50s with the avant-garde post-bop and third-stream explorations he would pursue just a few years later.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/incarnations-mw0004165948

Personnel: Bass – Charles Mingus; Alto Saxophone – Charles McPherson, Eric Dolphy; Bass Clarinet – Eric Dolphy; Drums – Dannie Richmond, Jo Jones; Piano – Nino Bunick, Paul Bley, Tommy Flanagan; Tenor Saxophone – Booker Ervin ; Trombone – Britt Woodman, Jimmy Knepper; Trumpet – Lonnie Hillyer, Roy Eldridge, Ted Curson

Incarnations

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Paul Bley Trio - The Nearness Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:25
Size: 149.8 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Avant Garde jazz
Year: 1989
Art: Front

[ 5:29] 1. This Can't Be Love
[12:50] 2. The Nearness Of You
[ 7:23] 3. What A Difference A Day Makes
[ 4:31] 4. These Foolish Things
[11:26] 5. Blues In The Closet
[ 6:15] 6. Lullaby Of Birdland
[10:39] 7. We'll Be Together Again
[ 6:49] 8. Take The A Train

Bass – Ron McClure; Drums – Billy Hart; Piano – Paul Bley. Recorded November 21, 1989

Recorded in 1989 and issued simultaneously on LP and CD, the digital version features two extra cuts and thus weighs in at about 16 minutes longer than the vinyl. The first question is why an artist of Bley's restlessness and vision would record a batch of tunes like these old nuggets in the first place. Bley's trio on this date is an estimable one: Drummer Billy Hart and bassist Ron McClure join the pianist for eight standards that range from the title track by Hoagy Carmichael to Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet" to George Shearing's "Lullaby of Birdland." Bley has an interesting way of approaching standards, which is why this hard bop rhythm section is key to the performances here. While he may approach Richard Rodgers' "This Can't Be Love" as a bebop tune with a modal sensibility -- he found the mode inside the tune's architecture -- Bley's sense of phrasing falls out of all the traditional jazz boxes. His bebop style is full of angular spaces and odd half notes and his modal mannerisms suggest tonal maneuvers requiring notes that go by at a clip (16th, even a 32nd in a major seventh chord run!) in counterpoint with McClure. Of course, this is what makes the man one of the bona fide geniuses of the music -- his manner of reworking something so it is something totally different yet still sounds like itself. In a ballad like the title tune, Bley allows Hart plenty of room to explore with his brushes by creating huge spaces in the melody, not merely by syncopation but by extending the chordal reach of the tune itself and allowing the tempo to hover rather than move toward any particular measure or melodic invention (of which there is plenty). Strangely, his reading of the Carmichael number is deeply moving, and played in a manner that suggests Mal Waldron's with a lighter touch and a longer reach for harmonic structures. The trio's performance of "What a Difference a Day Makes" seems rushed at first, as the musicians slip through the melody like a breeze through a screen door -- but it's all smoke and mirrors. Bley is moving the melody around to find room for McClure and Hart to lay back and coast on where he's taking the harmony, which is into a realm that suggests Herbie Nichols and Bill Evans. By the time Bley gets to Shearing's tune and the closer, Billy Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train," he's convinced us all once again that there is something new in everything. While the Strayhorn stalwart may be one of the most recorded jazz tunes in history, it has never sounded like this. Before the melody falls like dominoes and like lightning from Bley's right hand, he moves through a series of Monkish augmented chords that make no apparent sense harmonically until the melody jumps right out of them. As McClure and Hart move to double time, Bley triples and they're off and running, floating back and forth between pitches and key changes, even slipping in a bit of Ornette's chromaticism at the break. The other cool thing is that Bley manages to quote, however minutely, from every other tune on the session in his solo! This date is Bley at his most relaxed and amiable, playing with two veterans who not only handle his sudden shifts in mood and color but, more often than not, texture them in advance of what's coming -- dig McClure's hammer-on run near the end of "'A' Train" and, as Bley follows him and opens the scale up, you'll get a stunning example. This is Bley at his level jamming best. If this had been a cutting session, I'd have hated to be the horn player. ~Thom Jurek

The Nearness Of You

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Paul Bley, Tiziana Ghiglioni - Lyrics

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1991
Time: 52:14
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 120,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:38) 1. Beginning
(3:50) 2. Long Ago (And Far Away)
(3:05) 3. Close
(5:55) 4. Don't Blame Me
(4:10) 5. Clime
(5:53) 6. Yesterdays
(4:19) 7. Current
(5:09) 8. Lover Man
(4:56) 9. Soulful
(5:09) 10. The More I See You
(5:03) 11. Ending V

Recorded in 1991, this disc gorgeously assembles two of the most lyric "voices" on one CD, Canadian pianist Paul Bley and Italian chanteuse Tiziana Ghiglioni, performing solo and duet in a series of originals and standards. Of the 11 tunes, Bley composed six, all of which are piano solos, which serve as preludes or postludes --depending on your point of view -- to the duets on the standards by Kern, Gershwin, Dorothy Fields/Jimmy McHugh, etc. Bley's compositions are all lyric songs, or songs without lyrics that follow a conventional form and are adorned by his usual lush pointillism. From "Beginning" to "Clime" to "Soulful," Bley digs very deep for the melodic invention only he can put across, stringing lines of arpeggios next to open mode chords and tying them together in a chromaticism of his own design. His triplets give way to staggered ninths and flatted fifths before working themselves out in a lyric line that is as complex as it is stunningly beautiful. As for the duets with Ghiglioni, she proves Bley's perfect foil -- especially on tunes like Gershwin and Kern's "Long Ago and Far Away." Ghiglioni allows the song to come through her voice; she has no need to "make it her own" by taming or twisting it to fit her oracular talent. She allows Bley to bring her the changes and she takes the melody elegantly, letting it come from her mouth as a song, not a vehicle for vocal stylishness. The same goes for "Lover Man," one of the finest versions ever recorded: As she allows the lyric to drip from her emotions and not vice versa, Bley picks it all up and polishes the tune, as the singing needs no assistance. The final duet, "The More I See You," is a revelation in symbiotic musicianship. Ghiglioni just barely anticipates Bley's line as he holds back a fraction of a second to change the shape of his chord voicing to highlight the depth and dimension in Ghiglioni's singing. The song becomes not a sentimental piece of jazz' nostalgic past, but a living, breathing hymn to longing. And you can't ask for more than that. ~Thom Jurek

Lyrics

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Paul Bley - When Will The Blues Leave

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:35)  1. Mazatlan
( 5:37)  2. Flame
( 9:48)  3. Told You So
( 7:14)  4. Moor
( 5:33)  5. Longer
( 6:01)  6. Dialogue Amour
( 5:26)  7. When Will The Blues Leave
( 4:56)  8. I Loves You Porgy

Had Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian recorded together more consistently, they would have been considered among the best piano trios in modern jazz history. The three first recorded on the ECM collection Paul Bley with Gary Peacock (1970), a compilation from the 1960s where three of the eight tracks had Billy Elgart on drums. It would be decades before the trio reunited in the studio, and again, ECM captured the session, Not Two, Not One (1998). When Will The Blues Leave, from that same period of time, was recorded live in 1999, at Lugano's Aula Magna in 1999 at the Great Hall of University of Lugano, Italy. When Will The Blues Leave is the first posthumous release of new Bley material since his passing in 2016. The Canadian-born pianist/composer is considered by some to be one of the most important innovators in jazz music. His musical associations date to work in the 1950s with Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus. He was a pioneer in the fusion of jazz and electronics, a tireless explorer of new music, technique, and an educator and mentor. There are none of the typical parameters with a rhythm section of Peacock and Motian; they were, by this time, highly regarded composers and leaders whose individual ideas were incorporated into any setting in which they worked. Peacock, most famous for the Keith Jarrett trio, has worked with many legendary pianists including Bill Evans, Mal Waldron, Marilyn Crispell and Marc Copland. Motian had worked in those same circles, at times, with Peacock. The trio reaches back to the 1960s for the opener, "Mazatlan," which first appeared on Bley's Ramblin' (BYG, 1969). 

At more than eleven-minutes, it's a deep dive into Bley's early avant-garde phase. There are slower paced tunes such as "Flame" and "Told You So" from Bley's solo albums Tears (Owl, 1984) and Basics (Justin Time, 2001), and the Peacock/Bley composition "Dialogue Amour" from Not Two, Not One. The sophistication and creative skills of Peacock and Motian are on full display in these pieces as they establish interchanges, break off, and return with new ideas. Ornette Coleman's title track is an astoundingly knotty and energetic lead up to the closing tune, a beautifully quirky "I Loves You, Porgy."  It's difficult for piano trios to distinguish themselves in that most common of jazz formations, but When Will The Blues Leave could have been a defining moment for this unit. Their juxtaposition of lyricism and free improvisation within single pieces, and in real time, is challenging listening, but this elite group of artists have left us with a scrapbook of stunning ideas. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-will-the-blues-leave-paul-bley-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Paul Motian: drums.

When Will The Blues Leave

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Paul Bley Trio - Closer

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1965
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:04
Size: 65,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:53)  1. Ida Lupino
(2:19)  2. Start
(3:26)  3. Closer
(2:53)  4. Sideways In Mexico
(3:15)  5. Batterie
(2:14)  6. And Now the Queen
(3:21)  7. Figfoot
(2:28)  8. Crossroads
(2:55)  9. Violin
(2:16) 10. Cartoon

Pianist Paul Bley is an innovator whose imagination eclipses the norm. He never wavers from a challenge and there is always an air of expectancy each time Bley sits at the piano. He is comfortable in any setting and his music has been shaped by several peers. Among them were Sonny Rollins, Carla Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, Charles Mingus, Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman. In the final analysis, however, it is his vision that propels the music forward. He fills it with vigor and dynamism, with space and lyricism; nothing is out of focus, every challenge is within his grasp. His eloquence is shaped by his ability to balance silence with sound, as well as his penchant for, and skill with, unusual phrasing. Bley recorded Closer in 1965. He took a different direction from the previous album Barrage (ESP Disk, 1964) which he had recorded with saxophonist Marshall Allen, trumpeter Dewey Johnson, bassist Eddie Gomez and percussionist Milford Graves. 

On Closer, with bassist Steve Swallow and Barry Altschul on percussion, Bley concentrated on compositions by Carla Bley, with a tune each from Ornette Coleman and Annette Peacock, as well as an original. Bley caresses melody. He gives it an organic soul with an illumining beauty as he does on "Violin." He goes off on a slight tangent, adding space, giving Swallow the room to ruminate on the bass with delicate phrases. The mood is reflective and quietly effective. "Sideways in Mexico" is a more collaborative effort. Bley acknowledges the melody and then punctuates chords and phrases with a two-handed attack. There is a change of emphasis and direction as his lines dart and scamper and then open the door for Swallow and Altschul to hold an interweaving rhythm convention. Another song of remarkable beauty and feeling comes in "Ida Lupino." The melody has an immediacy that nestles in the mind and Bley lingers over it, his phrases rippling like a gently flowing brook. He unleashes a couple of thunderous chords that startle—this only adds to his stature as one who stamps his credentials with extraordinary signposts. Bley makes a welcome return with one of his best. ~ Jerry D'Souza https://www.allaboutjazz.com/closer-paul-bley-esp-disk-review-by-jerry-dsouza.php

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Steve Swallow: bass; Barry Altschul: drums.

Closer

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Bill Frisell - Selected Recordings

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:37
Size: 177,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:10)  1. Mandeville
(3:02)  2. Introduction
(7:25)  3. India
(4:22)  4. Singsong
(4:35)  5. In Line
(5:47)  6. Resistor
(4:49)  7. Music I Heard
(8:04)  8. Tone
(4:40)  9. Lonesome
(6:29) 10. Alien Prints
(2:28) 11. Hangdog
(4:44) 12. Kind Of Gentle
(5:01) 13. Closer
(9:54) 14. Sub Rosa

Whatever the musical context, guitarist Bill Frisell has always been a team player. From the edgy avant-garde of Naked City to the deeply melodic music of the Ginger Baker Trio and several wide-ranging groups of his own, he's proven repeatedly that he has the versatility and perceptiveness to fit into wildly different surroundings. His ECM work has for the most part been of the quiet, melodic sort. Since he last recorded under his own name for the label in 1987, he's forged onward with a more country/blues orientation on his own recordings. Some critics have slapped the term "Americana" on this new material, but Frisell dismisses the label: "People say this has come into my playing in recent years. I think it's been there all along." Perhaps so. Regardless, this set documents a fertile period during the '80s when Frisell was finding his own voice. In his solo recordings, Frisell prizes space and texture. The solo guitar piece "Introduction" (from the Paul Motian band recording Psalm ) has as much silence as sound. "In Line" (from Frisell's record of the same name) explores extremes of timbre and pitch overlaid on a solid, pulsing acoustic foundation. Then there's his work with saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Paul Motian. In trio or quintet settings, these players have a very rare kind of cohesion. Surely Lovano has developed his sound substantially since the '80s this material emphasizes his sure grasp of melody, but it lacks the deftness of tone and angularity of phrasing which he acquired in the '90s. But in some sense, the '80s were golden years for these players. They deliver some of their strongest, most memorable playing on these tunes. Frisell's work with trumpeter Kenny Wheeler (documented here on three tunes from 1984's Rambler ) has a sharper edge, more extreme in tone and color than the rest of the collection. Frisell plays here and there with effects to thicken atmospheric backgrounds and sharpen his crispy improvisations. You can hear the roots of his post-ECM music in the soft blues of "Lonesome" and the stretched, gossamer meanderings of "Alien Prints." Just in case you thought you had Frisell pinned down, he tosses out "Hangdog," a punchy, dissonant fragment from the same record, 1987's Lookout for Hope.  The luminaries: Paul Motian, Joe Lovano, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, Kenny Wheeler, Joey Baron, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Paul Bley, John Surman. (Definitely in the big leagues.) The big surprise: Frisell on banjo on "Hangdog." He turns the instrument inside out and it works. (Note: this disc represents the fifth volume of :rarum, a series of artist-picked compilations from ECM Records. It comes with brief notes by the artists, an extensive biography, and discographical information.) ~ AAJ Staff https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rarum-selected-recordings-of-bill-frisell-bill-frisell-ecm-records-review-by-aaj-staff.php

Personnel: Bill Frisell: guitars, banjo, guitar synth; Joe Lovano: ts; Billy Drewes: as; Ed Schuller: b; Paul Motian: d; Jan Garbarek: ss; Eberhard Weber: b; Michael DiPasqua: d; Kenny Wheeler: tpt, ct; Bob Stewart: tuba; Jerome Harris: bg; Hank Roberts: cello; Kermit Driscoll: bg; Joe Baron: d; Lee Konitz: as; Dave Holland: b; Paul Bley: p; John Surman: ss; Jamie McCarthy: recorder; Roger Heaton: cl; Alexander Balanescu: v; Martin Allen: vb; John White: p; Gavin Bryars: b.

Selected Recordings

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Don Ellis - Giants Of Jazz

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:07
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

( 3:31)  1. I'll Remember April
( 6:09)  2. Sweet And Lovely
( 3:42)  3. Out Of Nowhere
( 6:06)  4. All The Things You Are
( 3:43)  5. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
( 4:26)  6. My Funny Valentine
( 4:37)  7. I Love You
( 3:39)  8. Just One Of Those Things
( 4:54)  9. Johnny Come Lately
( 4:19) 10. Angel Eyes
( 3:24) 11. Lover
(10:08) 12. Form
( 4:38) 13. Sallie
( 6:28) 14. How Time Passes
( 4:15) 15. A Simplex One

Before his untimely death in 1978 at the young age of 44, Don Ellis was one of the most creative and innovative jazz musicians of all time. In a career span of less than 25 years, Don Ellis distinguished himself as a trumpeter, drummer, composer, arranger, recording artist, author, music critic, and music educator. However, Don Ellis is probably best remembered for his work as a big band leader. His orchestra, which was active from 1966-78, achieved enormous popular appeal at a time when the influence of big band music was noticeably fading. Ellis's significance lies in his use of groundbreaking musical techniques and devices, new to the world of jazz. Ellis's innovations include the use of electronic instruments, electronic sound-altering devices, experiments with quartertones, and the infusion of 20th century classical music devices into the jazz idiom. Ellis's greatest contributions, however, came in the area of rhythm. New rhythmic devices ultimately became the Don Ellis trademark. His compositions frequently displayed time signatures with numerators of 5, 7, 9, 11, 19, 25, 33, etc. His approach within more conventional time signatures could be equally innovative through the use of rhythmic superimpositions. Ellis's rhythmic innovations, despite much criticism, were not gimmicks, but rather a direct result of his studies in non-Western musical cultures, which included graduate work at UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicolog Ellis ultimately applied his experiences and knowledge of the music of non-Western cultures to the rhythmic language of jazz. He was one of the first to have accomplished such a fusion of ideas, and his works as a composer and an author stand as a memorial reflecting a significant stage in the evolution of jazz. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/donellis

Personnel:  Don Ellis – Trumpet;  Jaki Byard – Piano, Alto Sax;  Paul Bley – Piano;  Ron Carter – Bass;  Steve Swallow – Bass;  Gary Peacock – Bass;  Charlie Persip – Drums;  Nick Martins – Drums

Giants Of Jazz

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Paul Bley Trio - Paul Plays Carla

Size: 154,4 MB
Time: 66:36
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1992
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz
Art: Front & Back

01. Vashkar (6:04)
02. Floater (4:42)
03. Seven (6:46)
04. Around Again (7:02)
05. Ida Lupino (7:27)
06. Turns (4:52)
07. And Now The Queen (6:24)
08. Ictus (7:26)
09. Olhos De Gato (7:42)
10. Donkey (8:06)

Most of Carla Bley's earliest compositions were first recorded by her then-husband, pianist Paul Bley, during the first half of the 1960s. For this 1991 trio date with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Jeff Williams, Bley revisits ten of his former wife's songs, most of which date from the early era. While "Ida Lupino" has been explored in more definitive fashion by Bley elsewhere, his versions of such songs as "Vashkar," "Seven," "Turns" and "Ictus" work quite well. The music falls somewhere between advanced bop and the avant-garde, often swinging but with surprising turns and twists and often-unusual chord sequences. An intriguing set. ~by Scott Yanow

Paul Plays Carla

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Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley, Steve Swallow - Fly Away Little Bird

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:29
Size: 175.1 MB
Styles: Post bop, Modern Creative
Year: 1992/2003
Art: Front

[ 6:35] 1. Fly Away Little Bird
[ 3:39] 2. Fits
[ 4:49] 3. I Can't Get Started
[ 5:38] 4. Qualude
[ 6:38] 5. Possibilities
[ 6:20] 6. Tumbleweed
[ 6:30] 7. All The Things You Are
[ 3:14] 8. Starts
[ 4:34] 9. Goodbye
[ 0:27] 10. Just Dropped By
[ 5:13] 11. Lover Man
[ 4:51] 12. Postlude
[ 6:26] 13. Sweet And Lovely
[11:26] 14. Bats In The Belfry

Jimmy Giuffre, soprano sax, clarinet, voice; Paul Bley, piano; Steve Swallow, electric bass.

Recorded a year before this trio's final record in ’93, Fly Away Little Bird delivers a more grounded, earthy performance than Conversations With a Goose. Here, Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley, and Steve Swallow explore their blues roots, particularly Giuffre. And, in addition to their trademark spontaneous inventions, they lovingly render five standards and a surprisingly strong composition by Juanita Odjenar Giuffre, Mrs. Jimmy. This was their third album for Owl after a 27-year hiatus.

Giuffre’s credited with the title track, a wistful group piece with Jimmy on clarinet. The three musicians easily revolve in and out of their solos and supporting roles. “Fits” gives Swallow a solo run that carries a vaguely Spanish flavor with classical counterpoint. All three give a heartfelt reading to Vernon Duke’s “Can’t Get Started.” After Jimmy’s mournful turn, Swallow bends his notes bluesy, and Bley takes a theatrical interlude. Bley goes solo on “Qualude,” working a walking bass line through some minor harmonies. The modal inventions that follow are pure Bley, some deceptively simple ideas the build into a complex off-kilter blues. Juanita Giuffre’s “Possibilities” starts with a rubbery throbbing Swallow and Giuffre making short statements on soprano. Bley plays the progression in a clipped style, before blowing it apart. Giuffre goes on one of his amazing solo excursions on “Tumbleweed,” a clarinet workout that includes extended techniques, vocals sounding like Italian operetta, and sweet bluesy musing.

Kern and Hammerstein’s “All the Things You Are” gets a stiff intro from Bley and Giuffre, then Swallow enters in hyper-swing mode, and everyone gets on his bus. Bley manages to tweak his chords enough to keep it from being a totally straight interpretation. “Starts” continues Swallow’s solo exploration, this time less jaunty, less Spanish, but no less contrapuntal. The Gordon Jenkins composition, “Goodbye,” originally showed up on the trio’s second album for Verve, Thesis in 1961. Giuffre’s clarinet sings the sad song, with Swallow and Bley finishing his and each other’s phrases. Swallow’s unique bass approach creates a call and response role with the clarinet. The long group improv “Bats in the Belfry” begins with a few lines from Giuffre on soprano that echo back from Bley and Swallow, and the variations commence. After various changes, Giuffre switches to clarinet, and in one sequence Bley sounds as if he’s playing prepared piano. ~Rex Butters

Fly Away Little Bird mc
Fly Away Little Bird zippy

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Marion Brown - Sweet Earth Flying

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1974
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:02
Size: 89,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 1
(5:58)  2. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 3
(5:58)  3. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 4
(4:58)  4. Sweet Earth Flying, Part 5
(7:17)  5. Eleven Light City, Part One
(2:11)  6. Eleven Light City, Part Two
(5:52)  7. Eleven Light City, Part Three
(3:05)  8. Eleven Light City, Part Four

The second installment of his "Georgia" trilogy, Sweet Earth Flying is arguably Marion Brown's finest work and certainly one of the underappreciated treasures of '70s jazz. Again, the words and ideas of poet Jean Toomer underlie Brown's conception (hence the album's title), though this time (unlike the appearance of Karintha on Geechee Recollections) none of Toomer's actually poetry is utilized. Instead, he calls into service the remarkable keyboard paring of Muhal Richard Abrams and Paul Bley, an inspiration that pays off in spades. The two pianists alternate acoustic and electric keyboards, bringing a slight tinge of the propulsiveness of Miles Davis' late-'60s bands, but with a grace, soul, and sense of freedom rarely achieved by Corea and Jarrett. In fact, Abrams' feature on Part Five of the title suite is one of the single most beautiful and cogent statements he ever created. Brown's sound on both soprano and alto has a unique quality; he tends to sound tentative and innocently hesitant when first entering, only to gather strength as he goes, reaching utter conviction along the way. Special mention must be made of vocalist Bill Hasson. He's featured on only one piece, but his deep voiced recitation in a language of his own construction (drawing from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, and North American down-home English) is a very special treat indeed. Very highly recommended to open-eared jazz fans of all tastes. ~ Brian Olewnick https://www.allmusic.com/album/sweet-earth-flying-mw0000892491

Personnel:  Marion Brown — alto saxophone, soprano saxophone;  Muhal Richard Abrams , Paul Bley — piano, electric piano, organ;  James Jefferson — bass, electric bass;  Steve McCall — drums, percussion;  Bill Hasson — percussion, narration.

Sweet Earth Flying

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Bruce Ditmas - What If

Styles: Free Jazz, Fusion  
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:54
Size: 138,8 MB
Art: Front

(10:12)  1. Island Seven
(10:21)  2. What If
( 7:52)  3. Clever Conversation
( 3:19)  4. 3348 Big Easy:  Deep Blue Sleep
( 7:18)  5. 3348 Big Easy:  Thursday Nite Special
( 4:09)  6. 3348 Big Easy:  Voodoo Street Beat
( 8:00)  7. Pulp
( 3:46)  8. Power Surge
( 4:54)  9. Don't Wake Me

Drummer Bruce Ditmas’ wish list comes to fruition on the 1995 “Postcards” release titled, What If. Among the noteworthy crop of re-releases from Arkadia Records who now own the Postcards catalogue is this mind boggling work featuring a who’s who of modern jazz stylists such as pianist Paul Bley, bassist Dominic Richards, saxophonist Sam Rivers and guitarist John Abercrombie. According to the liners, Ditmas handed Postcards something similar to a Christmas want-list as they proceeded to round up these consummate and highly influential jazz musicians. On What If Ditmas slashes and burns while boasting a booming, resonant sound as he provides the thunderous intro for pianist Paul Bley on the opener, “Island Seven”. Here and throughout, Ditmas engages complex polyrhythms in effortless fashion as he provides the enormous pulse behind Abercrombie’s angular and somewhat ferocious attack, which rekindles memories of his now classic ECM release, “Timeless”. The title track, “What If” is electrically charged and proceeds at a feverish pace as the great Sam Rivers’ sinewy and explosive tenor sax work along with the forceful rhythms and turbo charged interplay among the bandmates offers something which borders fusion and modern jazz. Paul Bley stretches out in elegant fashion on “Clever Conversations” while Ditmas and Richards employ a relentless rhythmic assault. Unadulterated intensity provided by Abercrombie’s signature and somewhat manic guitar stylizations along with the muscular rhythmic assault are prevalent factors on the barnburner titled, “Pulp”. On “Power Surge”, the heat continues while “Don’t Wake Up” is ethereal and dreamy thanks to Bley’s colorful and textural articulations on synthesizer along with his pensive or somewhat dirge-like acoustic piano work. A fitting finale to an unyielding and explosive affair! Upon its original release, What If received critical praise and accolades and justifiably so as it becomes rather obvious from the onset that Ditmas was geared up for this date. What If offers a potpourri of modern/free-jazz, fusion and takes off into the stratosphere to some unknown destination, as the men only know one way, which is straight ahead with no looking back. * * * * ½ ~ Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/what-if-bruce-ditmas-postcards-review-by-glenn-astarita.php

Personnel: Bruce Ditmas; Drums: John Abercrombie; Guitars: Paul Bley; Piano & Synthesizers: Dominic Richards; Bass: Sam Rivers; Tenor & Soprano Saxophone.

What If

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Sonny Rollins - Sonny Meets Hawk!

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:15
Size: 124.2 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1963/2016
Art: Front

[5:11] 1. Yesterdays
[9:36] 2. All The Things You Are
[5:59] 3. Summertime
[4:40] 4. Just Friends
[8:54] 5. Lover Man
[7:03] 6. At Mckie's
[3:47] 7. You Are My Lucky Star
[3:16] 8. I Could Write A Book
[5:45] 9. There Will Never Be Another You

Throughout a career that spanned more than 40 years, Coleman Hawkins consistently maintained a progressive attitude, operating at or near the cutting edge of developments in jazz. If Hawk's versatility came in handy when he backed Abbey Lincoln during Max Roach's 1960 We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, he took on an assignment of challenging dimensions when in 1963 he cut an entire album with Sonny Rollins in the company of pianist Paul Bley, bassists Bob Cranshaw and Henry Grimes, and drummer Roy McCurdy. Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins each virtually defined the tenor saxophone for his respective generation. To hear the two of them interacting freely is a deliciously exciting experience. Hawkins is able to cut loose like never before. Sometimes the two collide, locking horns and wrestling happily without holding back. For this reason one might detect just a whiff of Albert Ayler's good-natured punchiness, particularly in the basement of both horns; such energies were very much in the air during the first half of the 1960s. Rather than comparing this date with the albums Hawkins shared with Ben Webster (1957), Henry "Red" Allen (1957), Pee Wee Russell (1961), or Duke Ellington (1962), one might refer instead to Hawk's wild adventures in Brussels during 1962 (see Stash 538, Dali) or Rollins' recordings from around this time period, particularly his Impulse! East Broadway Run Down album of 1965. Check out how the Hawk interacts with Rollins' drawn-out high-pitched squeaking during the last minute of "Lover Man." On Sonny Meets Hawk!, possibly more than at any other point in his long professional evolution, Hawkins was able to attain heights of unfettered creativity that must have felt bracing, even exhilarating. He obviously relished the opportunity to improvise intuitively in the company of a tenor saxophonist every bit as accomplished, resourceful, and inventive as he was. ~arwulf arwulf

Sonny Meets Hawk!

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Bob Mover Trio - The Night Bathers

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:17
Size: 107,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:14)  1. The Night Bathers
( 3:31)  2. Berg-Like
( 1:21)  3. Hélène
(10:23)  4. Suite in 4 Parts
( 1:39)  5. We Burn
( 6:33)  6. Beach Music
( 5:02)  7. Randomland
( 2:06)  8. John's 1st Synthony
( 3:09)  9. Fathoms
( 1:51) 10. Sonny Claws
( 3:22) 11. Angelica

When one considers the instrumentation (alto, piano and guitar) and the personnel (Bob Mover, Paul Bley and John Abercrombie), it is not surprising that this date is full of thoughtful, chance-taking and often lyrical improvisations. Most of the selections are either duets or unaccompanied solos, and although there are some melodies, the music was pretty much all improvised on the spot. An intriguing set. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-night-bathers-mw0001016781

Personnel:  Bob Mover - alto and soprano saxophones;  Paul Bley – piano;  John Abercrombie - electric guitar, guitar synth

The Night Bathers

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Paul Bley, Sonny Greenwich - Outside In

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:09
Size: 160.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz, Avant garde jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[1:40] 1. Sonics Ii
[4:34] 2. Horizons
[7:07] 3. Arrival
[7:31] 4. Now
[6:12] 5. Meandering
[7:00] 6. Willow
[6:45] 7. I Remember Harlem
[4:25] 8. Peel Street Blues
[7:47] 9. Steeplechase
[6:14] 10. You Are
[4:45] 11. These Foolish Things
[6:04] 12. Pent Up House

This duet set by pianist Paul Bley and guitarist Sonny Greenwich, after two melodic solos by Greenwich and Bley's feature on "Arrival," becomes a loose bop session. "Meandering" is a blues and, in the tradition of Lennie Tristano, the origins of the originals "Willow" and "You Are" are not too difficult to figure out. The music does meander a bit but mostly swings in a floating way. Although there are some freer moments, this is as straight as Paul Bley has played on records in years and Sonny Greenwich also sounds fairly conservative, at least if one does not listen too closely. It's a relaxed and very interesting set. ~Scott Yanow

Outside In

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Ornette Coleman - Complete Live At The Hillcrest Club

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:23
Size: 152,2 MB
Art: Front

(12:07)  1. Klact-Oveeseds-Tene
( 3:52)  2. I Remember Harlem
( 9:38)  3. The Blessing
( 5:39)  4. Free
(14:29)  5. When Will The Blues Leave?
( 4:35)  6. How Deep Is The Ocean?
(14:06)  7. Ramblin'
( 1:55)  8. Crossroads

Ornette Coleman's epic 1959 LPs The Shape of Jazz to Come and Change of the Century were pivot points in modern post-bop jazz and early creative music. This recording is a prelude to those epics, a live two-night engagement in October of 1958 at the Hillcrest Club in Los Angeles. The Coleman quintet, with trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins, plus a then-young pianist Paul Bley, sets up that new shape of jazz. This eight-selection set features three of Coleman's signature originals, two standards, and three lesser-known, fairly rare pieces that Coleman did at the time. The program kicks off with Charlie Parker's "Klactoveedsedstene," an on-fire free bopper where Coleman's alto sax in tandem with Cherry reflects a quest for cleanliness and innocent, alive freshness, well transferred, balanced, and reproduced digitally. Whoever tagged this music unlistenable needs to revisit the symbiosis of the front-line horns present. Three of Coleman's all-time immortal compositions on call are the relaxed and easily swung harmolodic dream "The Blessing" accented by Ornette's piquant alto, the call-and-response-laden "When Will the Blues Leave?," and the post-bop evergreen "Ramblin'." The stairstep ascending and descending melody for "Free" also remains arresting, taking no prisoners. It's interesting how alleged rebel Coleman pays reverence to two ballad standards, Roy Eldridge's pensive "I Remember Harlem" and Cherry's trumpet-led "How Deep Is the Ocean?" Closing is the frantic, scattershot two-minute improvisation "Crossroads." A major fault of this recording is Bley's piano, which is unfortunately so far down in the mix that it is virtually inaudible. One really has to strain, even with headphones, to hear the true depth of Bley's clearly brilliant, probing, but muffled and muted playing. There's no doubt as to the historical and musical significance of this date, and it belongs in the collection of any follower of Coleman, despite the one production flaw. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/complete-live-at-the-hillcrest-club-mw0000584535

Personnel:  Ornette Coleman (as), Don Cherry (tp), Paul Bley (p), Charlie Haden (b) & Billy Higgins (d).

Complete Live At The Hillcrest Club

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Paul Bley Trio - Questions

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 47:42
Size: 76,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:16)  1. Lovely
(2:11)  2. Adventure 1
(2:32)  3. Adventure 2
(1:35)  4. Adventure 3
(3:18)  5. Adventure 4
(5:08)  6. Beautiful
(4:10)  7. The Pause Is Not Rhythmic
(2:41)  8. Questions
(4:47)  9. Here And Gone 1
(2:19) 10. Here And Gone 2
(3:38) 11. Here And Gone 3
(2:00) 12. Here And Gone 4
(7:02) 13. Fanfare

A February 1985 recording in a Copenhagen studio, Questions finds Canadian free jazz pianist Paul Bley paired with the Danish rhythm section of bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Aage Tangaard. For a one-off recording session assumedly recorded with a minimum of rehearsal, the three mesh quite well, although the interplay between Bley and Lundgaard in the middle section of the opening "Lovely" probably was not meant to sound as hesitant and atonal as it does. Wisely, the album then moves into a series of solos by Bley, "Adventure" parts one through four. Melodic but abstract, with long pauses and unexpected glissandi, these solos sound almost like Bill Evans might have after heavy exposure to Brian Eno. The rhythm section comes back in for the gently swinging "Beautiful," then lays out again for another pair of Bley solos. Returning for the first three sections of the four-part "Here and Gone," Lundgaard and Tangaard seem perfectly attuned with Bley's fragmented, impressionistic style. (Part two of this composition has nearly as much silence as it does music.) The rhythm section's restrained, subtle support on these tracks is a perfect setting for Bley, who moves even further into quasi-ambient soloing on the seven-minute closer, "Fanfare." The more normal sounding trio recordings towards the front of the disc sound almost out of place, but the rest of Questions is Bley at his tranquil but never placid best. ~ Stewart Mason http://www.allmusic.com/album/questions-mw0000192601

Personnel:  Paul Bley (piano); Jesper Lundgaard (bass); Aage Tanggaard (drums).

Questions

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Paul Bley - At Copenhagen Jazzhouse

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1994
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 55:46
Size: 89,6 MB
Art: Front

(16:36)  1. Woogie
( 8:25)  2. Check
(12:43)  3. Don't
( 5:54)  4. Decade
( 4:12)  5. Furioso
( 7:52)  6. Bye

Paul Bley has been one of the most fascinating jazz pianists in the last four decades since his recording debut in 1954. This is Bley’s second solo recording for SteepleChase and this time the setting is in “live” at Copenhagen’s most active club “Jazz House”. Whether with group or alone, Paul never stops surprising us with his unique ideas and approach to music.

Personnel:  Paul Bley – Piano

At Copenhagen Jazzhouse

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Paul Bley - My Standard

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:53
Size: 150.8 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 1987/1994
Art: Front

[2:55] 1. I'm Glad There's You
[3:06] 2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
[5:30] 3. Lover Man
[2:59] 4. All The Things You Are
[4:26] 5. Long Ago And Far Away
[4:44] 6. Black And Blue
[2:27] 7. How Long Has This Been Going On
[6:18] 8. A.R.B
[3:08] 9. Blues Waltz
[3:44] 10. I Wish I Knew
[3:06] 11. If I'm Lucky
[4:57] 12. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[4:04] 13. I Can't Get Started
[4:42] 14. The Theme
[5:08] 15. Becky
[2:15] 16. Bolivar Blues
[2:14] 17. Goodbye

Double Bass – Jesper Lundgaard; Drums – Billy Hart; Piano – Paul Bley. Recorded in Sound Track Studio, Copenhagen, December 8, 1985.

When one considers that Paul Bley is a constant improviser, the repertoire he chose for this set (ten standards, most of which are from the '40s and '50s) is rather surprising. But even on tunes such as "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Long Ago and Far Away" and "I Can't Get Started," pianist Bley (accompanied by bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Billy Hart) avoids the obvious and comes up with something new to say. ~Scott Yanow

My Standard

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Lee Konitz, Paul Bley - Out Of Nowhere

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:04
Size: 137.5 MB
Styles: Piano/Saxophone jazz
Year: 1997
Art: Front

[ 6:00] 1. I'll Remember April
[11:01] 2. Lover Man
[ 9:10] 3. Sweet And Lovely
[11:21] 4. I Can't Get Started
[ 7:39] 5. Out Of Nowhere
[ 8:21] 6. Don't Blame Me
[ 6:29] 7. I Want To Be Happy

Alto Saxophone – Lee Konitz; Double Bass – Jay Anderson; Drums – Billy Drummond; Piano – Paul Bley. Recorded April 1997.

Alto saxophonist Lee Konitz began his more than 50-year career studying with Lennie Tristano and soloing with the Claude Thornhill orchestra and the Miles Davis Nonet before stepping out on his own. His distinctive sound, often described as chilly and dry, and his anti-establishment, modal harmonic improvisations offer the listener a comfortable session containing pleasant lyrical melodies and refreshing colors.

Pianist Paul Bley started his career at about the same time as Konitz, attending the Juilliard School of Music, then working with Charles Mingus, Jackie McLean, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Don Ellis, Jimmy Giuffre, and other jazz legends. His career has afforded Bley the opportunity to form associations with many jazz artists while carving out his own niche, usually described as "avant-garde jazz" with preference for leaving enough space between the notes to allow their beauty to shine through. Supporting Konitz and Bley on this session are bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Billy Drummond.

The SteepleChase label, from Denmark, has issued well over a dozen sessions for Paul Bley – this one is relaxed, with each of these four artists contributing improvisational space. The tunes, mostly familiar easy-to-recognize standards, average eight to nine minutes per track. Drummond lays out on "Lover Man" so that Konitz and Bley may express the piece the way it was intended. Applying lyrical phrases, both leaders present extended solos: Bley with a light touch, keeping the harmony close and maximizing the use of space; Konitz equally light and dry, carrying the lyrics along as if singing them. Similarly, the Vernon Duke classic "I Can't Get Started" is presented slowly and deliberately, with Drummond using brushes; it's an opportunity for Bley to stretch a little.

The moderately paced "Sweet and Lovely" includes fours with Drummond; suiting the mood of the album he is spare in his use of the cymbals here and elsewhere. Instead, the percussionist opts to lay down crisp rolls, moving from one drum to another, slowing down to allow each stroke its distinct pulse. "Don't Blame Me" is a loping ballad presented in blues fashion, with occasional dissonance to keep the perspective clear. Konitz and Bley are unique artists with a sound few can copy, who stroll easily between avant-garde and straight-ahead standards. Recommended. ~Jim Santella

Out Of Nowhere

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