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Thread: Bley Recommendations?

  1. #1
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Bley Recommendations?

    My record collection is woefully inadequate in Carla Bley, Paul Bley, Michael Mantler, Steve Swallow, Gary Peacock, et al.

    What I have:
    • The Hapless Child
    • Something There
    • 13 & 3/4
    • A Genuine Tong Funeral
    • Escalator Over The Hill
    • The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show


    Where should I look next??? They each have dozens of releases.
    Last edited by rcarlberg; 07-19-2018 at 05:52 PM.

  2. #2
    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Carla: Tropic Appetites. Similar to Escalator, but I actually like it better.

    Michael Mantler: Live (Jack Bruce! Don Preston! John Greaves!)

    And since you're spreading the net wide, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra.
    Last edited by Mister Triscuits; 07-19-2018 at 06:03 PM.
    Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
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  3. #3
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    How about music with Jimmy Giuffre,Paul Bley and Steve Swallow?They recorded groundbreaking trio albums as the Jimmy Giuffre 3 in the early 60's and again when they regrouped in the early 90's.

    I highly recommend the 2 cd set on ECM-"1961" by the Giuffre 3(Giuffre,Bley,Swallow).They recorded two live dates in Germany, also in 1961, which you can find on the Emanem label,"Bremen & Stuttgart 1961".

    Both are in print and are outstanding,IMO.*


    * They recorded some Carla Bley compositions.
    Last edited by walt; 07-19-2018 at 06:17 PM.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  4. #4
    The last Carla CD I bought was Big Band Theory. That's darn good. An enjoyable lighter album is Carla by Steve Swallow.

  5. #5
    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    The albums I'm familiar with:

    Mantler-Movies/More Movies
    Carla Bley-Fleur Carnivore, Very Big Band, European Tour '77, Goes To Church
    Paul Bley-Not Two Not One w/ Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, great sounding trio on ECM.
    Bley/Giuffre/Swallow-Life Of A Trio
    Gary Peacock/Ralph Towner-Oracle , probably the stronger of the two albums they made on ECM.

  6. #6
    Member helicase's Avatar
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    I don't think there's an official release of this, so youtube will have to do:

  7. #7
    Member Mascodagama's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    I highly recommend the 2 cd set on ECM-"1961" by the Giuffre 3(Giuffre,Bley,Swallow).They recorded two live dates in Germany, also in 1961, which you can find on the Emanem label,"Bremen & Stuttgart 1961".

    Both are in print and are outstanding,IMO.*


    * They recorded some Carla Bley compositions.
    These are brilliant, and stand as an important corrective to certain ideas of how ‘free’ music has to sound.
    “your ognna pay pay with my wrath of ballbat”

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  8. #8
    Closer by Paul Bley

    Although not with Carla performing, I like Gary Burton's album Dreams So Real w/Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick, Steve Swallow and Bob Moses of all Carla compositions.

    Swallow's album Home from the late 70's is interesting (poems by Robert Creeley, sung by Sheila Jordan). I haven't listened to it in a few years, should dig it out.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    How about music with Jimmy Giuffre,Paul Bley and Steve Swallow?They recorded groundbreaking trio albums as the Jimmy Giuffre 3 in the early 60's and again when they regrouped in the early 90's.

    I highly recommend the 2 cd set on ECM-"1961" by the Giuffre 3(Giuffre,Bley,Swallow).They recorded two live dates in Germany, also in 1961, which you can find on the Emanem label,"Bremen & Stuttgart 1961".

    Both are in print and are outstanding,IMO.*
    There was also the album Free Fall that they recorded after those two albums on the ECM release, and was so out there that the group could not get gigs at the time and broke up. It was for Columbia, and reissued on CD in the 90's, so should be possible to find.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by pb2015 View Post
    Although not with Carla performing, I like Gary Burton's album Dreams So Real w/Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick, Steve Swallow and Bob Moses of all Carla compositions.
    Great album. Never knew they were Carla's tunes!

    As for my personal Carla favorites, I particularly enjoy Very Big Band and Fleur Carnivore. European Tour 77 is good and has Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper on it, though their personalities don't come out too much.
    There is also a nice duet album with husband Steve Swallow called "Go Together". Worth seeking out.

    A brief tangent: I went to college with Steve Swallow's daughter many years ago, we lived in the same dorm one year. One day we had a conversation about her dad, she opened up a bit and told me how poor they were when she was growing up. Not homeless or anything but it sounded pretty hand-to-mouth. I was really shocked by that given how well known Steve is. But I guess if you don't do sessions and want to focus 100% on original music that is what life may look like.

  11. #11
    Member jake's Avatar
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    The Gary Peacock ECM album Voice From the Past is a stunner. With Jan Garbarek, Tomasz Stanko and Jack DeJohnette it is just awesome.


    I think one of Carla's greatest achievements was the arrangements she did for Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra - you can't do much better than "Ballad of the Fallen"


  12. #12
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Paul Bley - Barrage (with Milford Graves and Marshall Allen); all tunes by Carla.
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  13. #13
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    The Bley family seems to be unusually civil -- Paul continued to record his ex-wife's tunes long after their divorce, I think? -- as well as employ her new husband (or "partner" according to Wikipedia) Steve Swallow?

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    The Bley family seems to be unusually civil -- Paul continued to record his ex-wife's tunes long after their divorce, I think? -- as well as employ her new husband (or "partner" according to Wikipedia) Steve Swallow?
    I recall reading an interview with Carla, where she talked about her relationship with Swallow. This was, oh geez, must have been something like 25 years ago. I guess it was asked whether the two of them would get married. She mentioned that the real reason she married both Paul Bley and Michael Mantler was for citizenship purposes, i.e. so that the men could live and work in the US. She said since Steve is an American to begin with, he has no such problems, hence they have no real "need" to get married.

    So maybe if there was an understanding with each marriage that it wasn't about "love" so much as "Living In The USA" (apologies for invoking a Steve Miller song title), then maybe when each marriage came to an end, there wasn't a whole lot of acrimony involved.

    Or maybe Paul recording Carla's compositions (hey, that's alliterative!) was part of some unconventional alimony arrangement (and so is that!). (shrug)

  15. #15
    Surprised not to see Social Studies recommended. I love that one!

    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    Or maybe Paul recording Carla's compositions (hey, that's alliterative!) was part of some unconventional alimony arrangement (and so is that!). (shrug)
    Seems to have a similar arrangement with Annette Peacock, who he was involved with after Carla. The aforementioned Synthesizer Show album is all her compositions.
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  16. #16
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    There's people who can do that. Another Carla, Carla Kihlstedt, spent years playing in a band with two ex-boyfriends and her fiance, and they all got along just fine. I suspect it may have had something to do with both of the exes having moved onward to other relationships, and it thus being easier for all of them to just be friends.

  17. #17
    For me 3/4 is her best moment
    Even better then Escalator
    Yet its always ignored

  18. #18
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jake View Post

    I think one of Carla's greatest achievements was the arrangements she did for Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra - you can't do much better than "Ballad of the Fallen"

    Seconded, big time.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  19. #19
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    I would strongly recommend all Steve Swallow solo albums. The guy is a very strong composer with a quirky sense of humor, a fine arranger and a gracious bandleader. "Swallow", "Real Book", "Deconstructed", "Always Pack Your Uniform On Top", "Into The Woodwork" all offer perfect examples of his virtues. Straightahead or slightly latin tunes, concise (i.e. no excessive) soloing despite the presence of top sidemen (Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Gary Burton, Steve Kuhn, Tom Harrell, Mulgrew Miller, etc) and a relaxed atmosphere create a joyous feeling. He is in a league by himself and it is a shame that his solo discography remains relatively obscure.

  20. #20
    Not sure if this is the place to recommend since this album is not "progressive" in any way, but I love Carla Bley 's "lost chords find Paolo Fresu"- such a beautiful and understated album, whenever I want to really relax I put this album, it is so tasteful and sublime.
    Last edited by flytomars; 07-20-2018 at 06:57 AM.

  21. #21
    Member proggy_jazzer's Avatar
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    I'll throw in a big +1 for Swallow's Home and the rest of his later solo recordings like Real Book. I also find the Swallow/C. Bley album Duets to be quite enjoyable.
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  22. #22
    There's people who can do that. Another Carla, Carla Kihlstedt, spent years playing in a band with two ex-boyfriends and her fiance, and they all got along just fine. I suspect it may have had something to do with both of the exes having moved onward to other relationships, and it thus being easier for all of them to just be friends.
    Christina Vander with Stella and Isabelle.

    I love Barrage, which is an ESP disc so is cool by definition. For Carla, any of her ECM records are great, but Escalator is superb. There is a new Mike Mantler ECM disc with Himiko Paganotti singing on it- sort of chamber music like. But for Paul Bley, I really like some of his solo piano work. Met Steve Swallow, BTW, and he was certainly one of the nicest musicians I ever did meet. Class act.
    I'm not lazy. I just work so fast I'm always done.

  23. #23
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Udi Koomran View Post
    For me 3/4 is her best moment
    Even better then Escalator
    Yet its always ignored
    Has it ever been re-issued on CD?

  24. #24
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Played Paul Bley-Footloose! last night.Trio session from 1962 with Steve Swallow and Pete LaRoca.

    Good stuff.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Dana5140 View Post
    Christina Vander with Stella and Isabelle.
    CV and Isabelle?!

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