Biography Paul Bley

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 recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes

1953 Introducing Paul Bley Debut Charles Mingus, Art Blakey

1954 Paul Bley EmArcy Percy Heath/Peter Ind, Al Levitt

1958 Solemn Meditation GNP Dave Pike, Charlie Haden, Lennie McBrowne

1958

released 1976 Live at the Hilcrest Club 1958 Inner City Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins

1958

released 1977 Coleman Classics Volume 1 Improvising Artists Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins

1962–63 Footloose! Savoy Steve Swallow, Pete LaRoca

Re-released with additional tracks as Floater and Syndrome

1964 Barrage ESP-Disk Dewey Johnson, Marshall Allen, Eddie Gómez, Milford Graves

1965 Touching Fontana Kent Carter, Barry Altschul

1965 Closer ESP-Disk Steve Swallow, Barry Altschul

1966 Ramblin' BYG Actuel Mark Levinson, Barry Altschul

1966 Blood Fontana Mark Levinson, Barry Altschul

1966 In Haarlem - Blood Polydor Mark Levinson, Barry Altschul

1967

released 1971 Ballads ECM Mark Levinson/Gary Peacock, Barry Altschul

1967

released 1976 Virtuosi Improvising Artists Gary Peacock, Barry Altschul

1963–68

released 1970 Paul Bley with Gary Peacock ECM Gary Peacock, Paul Motian/Billy Elgart

1964–68

released 1975 Turning Point Improvising Artists John Gilmore, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian/Billy Elgart

1968 Mr. Joy Limelight Records Gary Peacock, Billy Elgart

1969 Revenge: The Bigger the Love the Greater the Hate Polydor Annette Peacock and various others

1970 The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show Milestone Dick Youngstein/Glen Moore/Frank Tusa, Steve Hass/Bobby Moses

1971 Improvisie America Annette Peacock, Han Bennink

1971 Dual Unity Freedom Annette Peacock, Mario Pavone, Lawrence Cook/Han Bennink

1972 Open, to Love ECM Solo piano

1972 Paul Bley & Scorpio Milestone Dave Holland, Barry Altschul

1973 Paul Bley/NHØP SteepleChase Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

1974 Jaco Improvising Artists Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Bruce Ditmas

1974 Alone, Again Improvising Artists Solo piano

1974 Quiet Song Improvising Artists Jimmy Giuffre, Bill Connors

1976 Japan Suite Improvising Artists Gary Peacock, Barry Altschul

1977 Pyramid Improvising Artists Lee Konitz, Bill Connors

1977 Axis Improvising Artists Solo piano

1983 Tears Owl Solo piano

1983 Tango Palace Soul Note Solo piano

1983 Sonor Soul Note George Cross McDonald

1985 Questions SteepleChase Jesper Lundgaard, Aage Tanggaard

1985 Hot Soul Note John Scofield, Steve Swallow, Barry Altschul

1985 My Standard SteepleChase Jesper Lundgaard, Aage Tanggaard

1986 Fragments ECM John Surman, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian

1986 Paul Bley & Jesper Lundgaard Live SteepleChase Jesper Lundgaard

1986 Paul Bley & Jesper Lundgaard Live Again SteepleChase Jesper Lundgaard

1987 Indian Summer SteepleChase Ron McClure, Barry Altschul

1987 Notes Soul Note Paul Motian

1987 The Paul Bley Quartet ECM John Surman, Bill Frisell, Paul Motian

1987 Solo Justin Time Solo piano

1988 Live at Sweet Basil Soul Note John Abercrombie, Red Mitchell, Barry Altschul

1988 Solo Piano SteepleChase Solo piano

1988 The Nearness of You SteepleChase Ron McClure, Billy Hart

1989 Blues for Red Red Solo piano

1989 Rejoicing SteepleChase Michal Urbaniak, Ron McClure, Barry Altschul

1989 The Life of a Trio: Saturday Owl Jimmy Guiffre, Steve Swallow

1989 The Life of a Trio: Sunday Owl Jimmy Guiffre, Steve Swallow

1989 Partners Owl Gary Peacock

1989 BeBopBeBopBeBopBeBop SteepleChase Bob Cranshaw, Keith Copeland

1990 Memoirs Soul Note Charlie Haden, Paul Motian

1990

released 1995 12 (+6) In a Row Hat Hut Hans Koch, Franz Koglmann

1991 Changing Hands Justin Time Solo piano

1991 Lyrics Splasc(H) Tiziana Ghiglioni

1991 In the Evenings Out There ECM John Surman, Gary Peacock, Tony Oxley

1991 Paul Plays Carla SteepleChase Marc Johnson, Jeff Williams

1992 Mindset Soul Note Gary Peacock

1992 Annette Hat Hut Franz Koglmann, Gary Peacock

1992 Caravan Suite SteepleChase Solo piano

1992 Homage to Carla Owl Solo piano

1992 Paul Bley at Copenhagen Jazz House SteepleChase Solo piano

1993 Zen Palace Transheart Steve Swallow, Paul Motian

1993 Hands On Transheart Solo piano

1993 If We May SteepleChase Jay Anderson, Adam Nussbaum

1993 Sweet Time Justin Time Solo piano

1993 Double Time Justin Time Jane Bunnett

1993 Know Time Justin Time Herbie Spanier, Geordie McDonald

1993 Synth Thesis Postcards Solo piano and synthesizer

1994 Time Will Tell ECM Evan Parker, Barre Phillips

1994

released 1998 Chaos Soul Note Furio Di Castri, Tony Oxley

1994 Modern Chant Venus David Eyges, Bruce Ditmas

1994 Outside In Justin Time Sonny Greenwich

1994 Emerald Blue Venus David Eyges, Bruce Ditmas

1994 Speachless SteepleChase Rich Perry, Jay Anderson, Victor Lewis

1994 Reality Check SteepleChase Rich Perry, Jay Anderson, Victor Lewis

1996

released 2000 Sankt Gerold ECM Evan Parker, Barre Phillips

1997 Notes on Ornette SteepleChase Jay Anderson, Jeff Hirshfield

1998 Not Two, Not One ECM Gary Peacock, Paul Motian

2000 Basics Justin Time Solo piano

2001

released 2007 Solo in Mondsee ECM Solo piano

2003 Nothing to Declare Justin Time Solo piano

2007 About Time Justin Time Solo piano

2008

released 2014 Play Blue: Oslo Concert ECM Solo 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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