Paul Bley

Biography

Hyman Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 - January 3, 2016) was a Canadian pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing. Bley was a long-time resident of the United States. His music characteristically featured strong senses both of melodic voicing and space. Paul Bley was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; his adoptive parents were Betty Marcovitch, an immigrant from Romania, and Joe Bley, owner of an embroider...

Hyman Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 - January 3, 2016) was a Canadian pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing. Bley was a long-time resident of the United States. His music characteristically featured strong senses both of melodic voicing and space.

Paul Bley was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; his adoptive parents were Betty Marcovitch, an immigrant from Romania, and Joe Bley, owner of an embroidery factory.

In the 1950s Bley founded the Jazz Workshop in Montreal, performing on piano and recording with be-bop alto saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker. He also performed with tenor saxophonists Lester Young and Ben Webster at that time. In 1953 he conducted for bassist Charles Mingus on the Charles Mingus and His Orchestra album. That same year Mingus produced the Introducing Paul Bley album with Mingus and drummer Art Blakey. In 1960 Bley recorded on piano with the Charles Mingus Group.

In 1958, he hired young avant garde musicians Don Cherry, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins to play at the Hillcrest Club in California.

In the early 1960s he was part of the Jimmy Giuffre 3, with Giuffre on clarinet, and bassist Steve Swallow. The quiet understatement of this music made it possible to overlook its degree of innovation, as well as its repertoire introducing compositions by his ex-wife, pianist and organist Carla Bley. The group's music moved towards free improvisation based on close empathy.

During the same period Bley was touring and recording with tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, which culminated with the RCA Victor album Sonny Meets Hawk! with tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins.

In 1964 Bley was instrumental in the formation of the Jazz Composers Guild, a co-operative organization which brought together many free jazz musicians in New York: Roswell Rudd, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Carla Bley, Michael Mantler, Sun Ra, and others. The guild organized weekly concerts and created a forum for the "jazz revolution" of 1964.

Bley had long been interested in expanding the palette of his music using unconventional sounds (such as playing directly on the piano-strings). It was therefore consistent that he took an interest in new electronic possibilities appearing in the late 1960s. He pioneered the use of Moog synthesizers, performing with them before an audience for the first time at Philharmonic Hall in New York City on December 26, 1969. This "Bley-Peacock Synthesizer Show" performance, a group with Annette Peacock, who had written much of Bley's personal repertoire since 1964, was followed by her playing on the recordings Dual Unity (released under the name "Annette & Paul Bley") and Improvisie, a French release of two extended improvisiational tracks with the trio of Paul on melodic electric piano and modulated synthesizer supporting Annette Peacock's remarkable tonal experiments singing through what sounds to be a Maestro (Tom Oberheim designed) Ring Modulator, and percussion by Dutch free jazz drummer Han Bennink, who had also appeared on part of Dual Unity.

Subsequently Bley returned to a predominant focus on the piano itself.

During the 1970s, Bley, in partnership with videographer Carol Goss, was responsible for an important multi-media initiative, Improvising Artists, which issued LPs and videos documenting the solo piano recordings by Sun Ra and other works of free jazz with Giuffre, Lee Konitz, Gary Peacock, Lester Bowie, John Gilmore, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Steve Lacy and others. Bley and Goss are credited in a Billboard Magazine cover story with the first "music video" as a result of the recorded and live performance collaborations they produced with jazz musicians and video artists.

Bley was featured in the 1981 documentary film Imagine the Sound, in which he performs and discusses the history of his music.

In the 1990s, Bley joined the faculty of the New England Music Conservatory, however he no longer teaches there. Musicians of note Satoko Fujii and Yitzhak Yedid have studied with Bley at NEC.

Bley continued to tour internationally and record prodigiously, with well over a hundred CDs released. In 1999 his autobiography, Stopping Time: Paul Bley and the Transformation of Jazz, was published. In 2003 Time Will Tell: Conversations with Paul Bley was published. In 2004 Paul Bley: la logica del caso (Paul Bley: The Logic of Chance) was published in Italian. In 2008, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Discography
As leader/co-leader
Year recordedTitle Label Personnel/Notes
1953Introducing Paul BleyDebutCharles Mingus, Art Blakey
1954Paul BleyEmArcyPercy Heath/Peter Ind, Al Levitt
1958Solemn MeditationGNPDave Pike, Charlie Haden, Lennie McBrowne
1958
released 1976Live at the Hilcrest Club 1958Inner CityOrnette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins
1958
released 1977Coleman Classics Volume 1Improvising ArtistsOrnette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins
1962–63Footloose!SavoySteve Swallow, Pete LaRoca
Re-released with additional tracks as Floater and Syndrome
1964BarrageESP-DiskDewey Johnson, Marshall Allen, Eddie Gómez, Milford Graves
1965TouchingFontanaKent Carter, Barry Altschul
1965CloserESP-DiskSteve Swallow, Barry Altschul
1966Ramblin'BYG ActuelMark Levinson, Barry Altschul
1966BloodFontanaMark Levinson, Barry Altschul
1966In Haarlem - BloodPolydorMark Levinson, Barry Altschul
1967
released 1971BalladsECMMark Levinson/Gary Peacock, Barry Altschul
1967
released 1976VirtuosiImprovising ArtistsGary Peacock, Barry Altschul
1963–68
released 1970Paul Bley with Gary PeacockECMGary Peacock, Paul Motian/Billy Elgart
1964–68
released 1975Turning PointImprovising ArtistsJohn Gilmore, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian/Billy Elgart
1968Mr. JoyLimelight RecordsGary Peacock, Billy Elgart
1969Revenge: The Bigger the Love the Greater the HatePolydorAnnette Peacock and various others
1970The Paul Bley Synthesizer ShowMilestoneDick Youngstein/Glen Moore/Frank Tusa, Steve Hass/Bobby Moses
1971ImprovisieAmericaAnnette Peacock, Han Bennink
1971Dual UnityFreedomAnnette Peacock, Mario Pavone, Lawrence Cook/Han Bennink
1972Open, to LoveECMSolo piano
1972Paul Bley & ScorpioMilestoneDave Holland, Barry Altschul
1973Paul Bley/NHØPSteepleChaseNiels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
1974JacoImprovising ArtistsPat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Bruce Ditmas
1974Alone, AgainImprovising ArtistsSolo piano
1974Quiet SongImprovising ArtistsJimmy Giuffre, Bill Connors
1976Japan SuiteImprovising ArtistsGary Peacock, Barry Altschul
1977PyramidImprovising ArtistsLee Konitz, Bill Connors
1977AxisImprovising ArtistsSolo piano
1983TearsOwlSolo piano
1983Tango PalaceSoul NoteSolo piano
1983SonorSoul NoteGeorge Cross McDonald
1985QuestionsSteepleChaseJesper Lundgaard, Aage Tanggaard
1985HotSoul NoteJohn Scofield, Steve Swallow, Barry Altschul
1985My StandardSteepleChaseJesper Lundgaard, Aage Tanggaard
1986FragmentsECMJohn Surman, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian
1986Paul Bley & Jesper Lundgaard LiveSteepleChaseJesper Lundgaard
1986Paul Bley & Jesper Lundgaard Live AgainSteepleChaseJesper Lundgaard
1987Indian SummerSteepleChaseRon McClure, Barry Altschul
1987NotesSoul NotePaul Motian
1987The Paul Bley QuartetECMJohn Surman, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian
1987SoloJustin TimeSolo piano
1988Live at Sweet BasilSoul NoteJohn Abercrombie, Red Mitchell, Barry Altschul
1988Solo PianoSteepleChaseSolo piano
1988The Nearness of YouSteepleChaseRon McClure, Billy Hart
1989Blues for RedRedSolo piano
1989RejoicingSteepleChaseMichal Urbaniak, Ron McClure, Barry Altschul
1989The Life of a Trio: SaturdayOwlJimmy Guiffre, Steve Swallow
1989The Life of a Trio: SundayOwlJimmy Guiffre, Steve Swallow
1989PartnersOwlGary Peacock
1989BeBopBeBopBeBopBeBopSteepleChaseBob Cranshaw, Keith Copeland
1990MemoirsSoul NoteCharlie Haden, Paul Motian
1990
released 199512 (+6) In a RowHat HutHans Koch, Franz Koglmann
1991Changing HandsJustin TimeSolo piano
1991LyricsSplasc(H)Tiziana Ghiglioni
1991In the Evenings Out ThereECMJohn Surman, Gary Peacock, Tony Oxley
1991Paul Plays CarlaSteepleChaseMarc Johnson, Jeff Williams
1992MindsetSoul NoteGary Peacock
1992AnnetteHat HutFranz Koglmann, Gary Peacock
1992Caravan SuiteSteepleChaseSolo piano
1992Homage to CarlaOwlSolo piano
1992Paul Bley at Copenhagen Jazz HouseSteepleChaseSolo piano
1993Zen PalaceTransheartSteve Swallow, Paul Motian
1993Hands OnTransheartSolo piano
1993If We MaySteepleChaseJay Anderson, Adam Nussbaum
1993Sweet TimeJustin TimeSolo piano
1993Double TimeJustin TimeJane Bunnett
1993Know TimeJustin TimeHerbie Spanier, Geordie McDonald
1993Synth ThesisPostcardsSolo piano and synthesizer
1994Time Will TellECMEvan Parker, Barre Phillips
1994
released 1998ChaosSoul NoteFurio Di Castri, Tony Oxley
1994Modern ChantVenusDavid Eyges, Bruce Ditmas
1994Outside InJustin TimeSonny Greenwich
1994Emerald BlueVenusDavid Eyges, Bruce Ditmas
1994SpeachlessSteepleChaseRich Perry, Jay Anderson, Victor Lewis
1994Reality CheckSteepleChaseRich Perry, Jay Anderson, Victor Lewis
1996
released 2000Sankt GeroldECMEvan Parker, Barre Phillips
1997Notes on OrnetteSteepleChaseJay Anderson, Jeff Hirshfield
1998Not Two, Not OneECMGary Peacock, Paul Motian
2000BasicsJustin TimeSolo piano
2001
released 2007Solo in MondseeECMSolo piano
2003Nothing to DeclareJustin TimeSolo piano
2007About TimeJustin TimeSolo piano
2008
released 2014Play Blue: Oslo ConcertECMSolo piano


As sideman
With Don Ellis

1961: Out of Nowhere (Candid, 1988)
1962: Essence (Pacific Jazz)
With Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow

1961: The Jimmy Giuffre 3 – Fusion (Verve)
1961: The Jimmy Giuffre 3 – Thesis (Verve; remixed re-release by ECM together with Fusion, 1992)
1961: Jimmy Giuffre Trio Live in Europe 1961 (Raretone, 1984)
1961: Emphasis, Stuttgart 1961 (hatART, 1993)
1961: Flight, Bremen 1961 (hatART, 1993)
1962: Free Fall (Columbia)
1989: The Life of a Trio (2 volumes, Owl)
1992: Fly Away Little Bird (Owl)
1993: Conversations with a Goose (Soul Note, 1996)
With Sonny Rollins

1963: Sonny Meets Hawk! (RCA Victor)
1963: Tokyo 1963 (Rare Live Recordings)
With Marion Brown

1974: Sweet Earth Flying (Impulse!)
With Charlie Haden

1989: The Montreal Tapes: with Paul Bley and Paul Motian (Verve)
With Lee Konitz

1997: Out of Nowhere (SteepleChase)
With John Surman

1991: Adventure Playground (ECM)
With Andreas Willers

2001: In the North (Between the Lines)
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