Paul Bley Nothing to Declare

Despite the fact that pianist and composer Paul Bley had been a renowned and innovative jazzman for nearly 20 years, 1973 saw the release of his most mature and visionary work. This is one of the most influential solo piano recordings in jazz history, and certainly one that defined the sound of the German label ECM. Consisting of seven tracks, five of which were composed by Carla Bley (his ex-wife) and Annette Peacock (soon to be his ex-wife), and two originals, Bley showcased his newfound penchant for the spatial pointillism and use of silence that came to define his mature work. In Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino," the pianist took the song's harmonics and unwound them from their source, deepening the blues elements, brushing the Errol Garnerish ostinato with pastoral shades and textures of timbral elegance, and reaching the tonic chords in the middle register just as he forced the improvisation just barely into the abstract with his right hand…

Despite the fact that pianist and composer Paul Bley had been a renowned and innovative jazzman for nearly 20 years, 1973 saw the release of his most mature and visionary work. This is one of the most influential solo piano recordings in jazz history, and certainly one that defined the sound of the German label ECM. Consisting of seven tracks, five of which were composed by Carla Bley (his ex-wife) and Annette Peacock (soon to be his ex-wife), and two originals, Bley showcased his newfound penchant for the spatial pointillism and use of silence that came to define his mature work. In Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino," the pianist took the song's harmonics and unwound them from their source, deepening the blues elements, brushing the Errol Garnerish ostinato with pastoral shades and textures of timbral elegance, and reaching the tonic chords in the middle register just as he forced the improvisation just barely into the abstract with his right hand…

Bley has covered a lot of ground in his more than sixty years in jazz. What's more, from his sessions with Mingus, Rollins, and Coleman, through his avant-garde solo and trio recordings, to his leadership in jazz education and technology, Bley has quietly transformed the landscape of modern jazz.

Paul Bley - Homage To Carla (1992) {Owl Records 0134272 rel 2001}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 201 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 135 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1992, 2001 Owl Records / Universal | 013 427 2
Jazz / Modern Creative / Post Bop / Piano

Recorded in New York in 1992. You insert the CD and there it is again, the magic of space and time. Seemingly self-forgetting, Bley immerses himself in the compositions of his ex-wife Carla and extracts uncut, raw diamonds. Bley's playing is always very dependent on the instrument he is playing on, as he once said - at least he seems to have done it to this Bösendorfer grand. He plays, seeks, finds, you can literally hear him thinking, he digs himself into the pieces and yet opens the gates wide. A fascinating document of the moment.