RIP Paul Bley

davea · Jan 5, 2016

Paul Bley, the Montreal-raised pianist and giant of free jazz who famously played with Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, has died at the age of 83, according to the statement below by his daughter, circulated late Monday night by a jazz publicist and later by an ECM Records representative:

“Dear Friends,

“I’m deeply saddened to tell you that my father passed yesterday. Below is our official statement. He was at home and very comfortable with family at his side.

“Thank you,
“Vanessa Bley

PAUL BLEY OBITUARY

“Paul Bley, renowned jazz pianist, died January 3, 2016 at home with his family. Born November 10, 1932 in Montreal, QC, he began music studies at the age of five. At 13, he formed the “Buzzy Bley Band.” At 17, he took over for Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge, invited Charlie Parker to play at the Montreal Jazz Workshop, which he co-founded, made a film with Stan Kenton and then headed to NYC to attend Julliard [sic].

“His international career has spanned seven decades. He’s played and recorded with Lester Young, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Jimmy Giuffre, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorious [sic] and many others. He is considered a master of the trio, but as exemplified by his solo piano albums, Paul Bley is preeminently a pianists’ pianist.

“He is survived by his wife of forty three years, Carol Goss, their daughters, Vanessa Bley and Angelica Palmer, grandchildren Felix and Zoletta Palmer, as well as daughter, Solo Peacock. Private memorial services will be held in Stuart, FL, Cherry Valley, NY and wherever you play a Paul Bley record.”

On Facebook, saxophonist Glen Hall wrote: “Paul’s death has been confirmed by his wife, Carol Goss. He passed away on Sunday, January 3, while listening to Memoirs, his recording with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.” Haden died last July at the age of 76, while Motian died in November 2011 at the age of 80.

In 2008, Bley was named a member of the Order of Canada, the official announcement said, for “his contributions as a pioneering figure in avant-garde and free jazz, and for his influence on younger jazz pianists.”

The legions of pianists alone whose playing was changed by hearing Bley includes, to name a few, artists of several generations from Keith Jarrett to Frank Kimbrough to Aaron Parks.

Posting at organissimo.org on Monday, Kimbrough wrote: “As Paul told me, ‘If you know what’s going to happen, there’s no reason to go to the gig — you go to the gig to get lost.’ We spent a lot of time together, and he was a tremendous influence, not just for his playing, but for the scope of his career, and for the incredibly interesting and engaging person he always was — perhaps the most thought-provoking person I’ve ever known. We were talking about some imaginary project once, and he said (in the most positive manner) “think of all the ways we could FAIL!”

In a jazz.com article from several years ago written by Ted Panken, Parks said: “Bley was something of a revolutionary from my perspective, somebody who wasn’t content simply to play by the rules, although it’s evident that he knows them…If you listen to his early recordings, he can play bebop and straight-ahead, really swinging stuff as well. But it seems pretty obvious that he decided that he didn’t want to be limited.

“A lot of what he did was the same thing that Ornette Coleman was doing, for sure. Often, he was just liberating melody from the constraints of harmony. He’s all about melody. His melodies unfolded naturally, they went wherever they wanted, even if there was no theoretical reason why they should go there. They had their own logic that resists analysis.”

Non-pianists have been similarly struck by the galvanizing sound of Bley.

Pat Metheny told my colleague Doug Fischer some years ago that his life was changed by Bley’s All the Things You Are solo on Sonny Rollins’ 1963 album Sonny Meets Hawk. “When I heard Paul Bley’s piano solo, a whole new universe of harmonic possibilities opened up from me,” Metheny said. “All these decades later, I still of it as one of the greatest solos in jazz history.

“Even a non-musician can sense something amazing is happening,” Metheny continued. “On one level what he’s doing is very complex, but it’s also completely accessible, very open. Bley simply allows each musical idea to go to its natural conclusion — and in the end, something very personal becomes very universal.”

From the ECM Records obituary for Bley: “In 1961 Paul was at the quieter end of the free revolution, as a member of the Jimmy Giuffre Trio. This group with Steve Swallow on bass, posited a kind of avant-garde chamber jazz which would become practically a template for thoughtful improvisation of the future. “At that time, with Giuffre, Paul expressed almost a Webernesque climate,” [ECM founder and producer] Manfred Eicher has said. “As a fragmentary approach to the well-chosen note or chord, the idea that only this note or that counts, restricting the number of notes and thinking about those notes before you play – Paul Bley was the best at this.”

The prodigous Bley recorded for many labels, producing certified classics such as the 1963 album Footloose. On ECM, some of his most notable recordings were the 1972 solo album Open, To Love as well as 1980s collaborations with Bill Frisell, John Surman and others.

The full extent of Bley’s uncompromising and cut-to-the-quick perspective on art are clear in the assessments he shared with jazz journalist Ted Panken in this 2002 blindfold test. In it, Bley said of Keith Jarrett: “He has my 1964 date, Turning Point on Improvising Artists, the one with Gary and Gilmore… He’s got that down pat with Gary! He took over that. That’s a big step for him. He went out of standards all the way to 1964. And who knows, we’re looking forward to 1974.”

A quick appreciation by Brookyn saxophonist and Canadian expat Andrew Rathbun on Facebook:

“I had two lessons with Paul Bley at NEC. In lesson No. 1 we played a tune or two, then he told me to 1) throw out every Coltrane record I had, and 2) to stop practicing (his philosophy was that you only had a finite amount of music in you, which you needed to save for recording/performing). The second lesson took place at a coffee shop, lasted two hours, and was fascinating. His ideas about playing, and recording were very interesting. In no way was I ready for what he was talking about, but I filed as much as I could away. Later, when I mounted a symposium about Jimmy Giuffre, he was really generous with his time speaking to me about the inner workings of the trio, and provided many invaluable insights.

“I went to see the trio with Motian and Peacock a number of times, which was either totally transcendental, or incredibly infuriating. Unpredictable, never boring. Real improvisors. Genuine, in the moment music.”

Hamilton-based pianist Adrean Farrugia wrote on Facebook:

“Rest in peace Paul Bley.

“To me, Paul Bley is the greatest and most historically significant jazz pianist Canada has ever produced. Never putting public approval ratings and record sales before his commitment to his honest development as an artist Paul Bley carved out a sound and style that was truly unique, mysterious and beautiful.

“He was an important influence on many of history’s greatest forward looking improvising artists, such as Keith Jarrett and many others

“I met him at the Blue Note in NYC in 2008 while on my honeymoon with my wife Sophia. His duo performances that night with Charlie Haden were deep and personal and stayed with me for a long time.

“I’ll always be grateful for your music Mr. Bley. Thank You.”

Rest in peace, Paul Bley.
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source :http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/jazzblog/r-i-p-paul-bley

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phloopy · Jan 5, 2016

I have several vinyls with this great musician!

Really sad to hear his dead already.

muse2love · Jan 5, 2016

Being from Montreal...
I have had to chance several times to hear this great talent...

Great Loss For The JazzPlanet " )

He will be missed but ...will be hard to copy or master from his works
PeaceR

Last edited: Jan 5, 2016

muse2love · Jan 5, 2016

KingzDubStep · Jan 5, 2016

muse2love said: ↑

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wow there is a ridiculous amount of talent in that video

NYCGRIFF · Jan 6, 2016

Yes. R.I.P. Maestro Paul! My cherished uncle (a tremendously gifted and talented Jazz master of the tenor and alto sax in his own right) also passed away on January 2nd at the tender age of 87. Both of these men were possessors of a unique set of skills and proved it with each song they so magisterially played. As a pianist, I truly loved Paul Bley's approach to the instrument, as well as his exceptional conceptualizations towards The Music. Yet, another two giants gone far too soon from the Jazz Universe. It's not only cold here in the Big Apple, but also sad.

Last edited: Jan 6, 2016

davea · Jan 6, 2016

NYCGRIFF said: ↑

Yes. R.I.P. Maestro Paul! My cherished uncle (a tremendously gifted and talented Jazz master of the tenor and alto sax in his own right) also passed away on January 2nd at the tender age of 87. Both of these men were possessors of a unique set of skills and proved it with each song they so magisterially played. As a pianist, I truly loved Paul Bley's approach to the instrument, as well as his exceptional conceptualizations towards The Music. Yet, another two giants gone far too soon from the Jazz Universe. It's not only cold here in the Big Apple, but also a sad.
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Sorry to read this man, all my condolences to you and your family.

NYCGRIFF · Jan 6, 2016

davea said: ↑

Sorry to read this man, all my condolences to you and your family.
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Thanks davea. Really appreciate your comments.

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RIP Paul Bley

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