Paul Bley - Alrac (solo piano) LIVE video 1973

[@Wonka275]

RIP Paul, thanks for the music

[@yomismo3204]

+Wonka275 He is alive and well, his death news was a hoax

[@Wonka275]

+YoMismo ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/jazzblog/r-i-p-paul-bley Unfortunately not.

[@rhmayer1]

Decades ago (early '90's?) I heard an interview with Paul Bley and he described how since he toured a lot he had to play (read put up with) a lot of pianos in dubious condition. And they rarely had sound checks or warm ups. So he learned to first play the full 88 keys at the beginning of the first set in order to get intimately familiar with that instrument and identify the one or two or maybe, if lucky, the three notes that sounded good - having good tone and timbre, that resonated with him - on that particular piano. The rest of the gig he would play those very few keys a lot, centering the whole gig, all his improvisations, around those few notes that he could extract music out of. Many know of the 1958 Hillcrest Club live recording with Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins and Bley. Some (most? all?) consider it the first live recording of avant garde/free jazz. What many don't know is that it was Bley's band, his gig. He was the house pianist and led the house band at the Hillcrest Club and hired the others to join him. Years earlier, in 1955, during an interview Bley talked about wanting to take his music in a different direction. "I'd like to write longer forms, I'd like to write music without a chordal center." He was one of the founding fathers of avant garde/free jazz. His music touches me deeply. I put him up there on the very top shelf of pianists, with McCoy, Herbie, Chick, Bill, Oscar, Ahmad Jamal and Denny Zeitlin. He played with Bird, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, all the way through to contemporary giants. Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny's first recording was a 1974 Paul Bley gig. Probably the greatest pianist that most never heard of.

[@tadhgokeeffe2127]

Love his music - his Not Two, Not One album on ECM is one of my all-time favourites - don't miss it!

[@pppppppppwwww]

thank you for the recommendation!

[@alvarorojas225]

thank you for the recommendation, I didn't know him and I'm starting to love his music

[@2300skiddoo]

I've only been involved in the music for about 50 years myself, but since I don't have the great sophistication of Tommy, all I can say is that I don't care how much Bley may have looked like a poser here, what he is playing is pure gold. Thanks a million for sharing it!

[@tristano3]

Absolute proof of the genius of Bley. One of the best things anywhere on You Tube

[@floriandinkelaker7295]

I love that old recording sound. It makes this huge piano sound like mine at home.

[@kwixotic]

I really like that he didn't value rehearsing so much because as an obit article pointed out he didn't want to get stuck in "the known" and also that he valued getting to the point where he was playing "bad." Shows up in this video. RIP for your artistic gift, Paul.

[@mangalarobertwatling9168]

Apparently the original comment was deleted but you guys gave this TucumcariTimmy guy a lot of power in this discussion. Paul Bley's music speaks for itself. Early or late. Just great music. If I could post a wish it would be to be able to hear his appearance on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz if only to hear their little jam on her theme at the end. Thanks for this though.

[@sssnacksss]

love paul !

[@georgesprudente3942]

Magnifique Paul Bley.

[@herbert9936]

I love the sound of the axe hitting the keys

[@moonchild3805]

Thank Paul.R.I.P.

[@tijlvanminderhoudt1787]

Wow, thanks for posting!

[@craine5132]

Simply magnificent!

[@Roboviewer]

alrac | carla

[@bsykesbeats]

Can't believe I just found out abt this guy

[@dannomagnanno]

Wow!

[@2300skiddoo]

The guy worked with Bird, Mingus, Sonny Rollins, George Russell, Ornette, Lee Konitz, and dozens of other greats, but TucumcariTimmy says it's crap so I guess he knows more about jazz than Bird, Mingus, Sonny Rollins, George Russell, Ornette, Lee Konitz, etc. etc.

[@anosjk]

With such a name (Tucuman TikTik) he must be a mere porn producer. Paul Bley is one of the few piano giants contemporary (and on the level of) of Bill, McCoy, Herbie and Keith, with the difference that he came prior to all them.

[@geneparkmusic8835]

anosjk totally !

[@anosjk]

Of course he does.Thanks,Paul, for "Long ago and far away".Amazing.

[@markbowen6041]

christ. in the moment, the notes that came before are nothing about the notes coming next and that last note? it doesn't have to be struck if you don't want it to. feeling this performance so very hard, brilliance.

[@5SunkenHeights5]

And Annette Peacock's Mister Joy near the end..

[@tiluriso]

Out/Free Blues.

[@tftkadawidalle6342]

HIGH ART.

[@daryljohnson3896]

A True Original !

[@bensmith4827]

Brilliant. Plus, subtly expressive camera work -particularly the closing close up of his finger poised over a concluding "G" that never arrived.

[@adelafabra5758]

Un virtuoso del Piano.

[@in6268]

Alrac - Carla

[@GuenterBuhles]

great

[@bbcrumbs]

Paul would typically play this piece for more like twelve minutes, but when you forget to put your pipe down before starting, you just gotta get through it•

[@wadecottingham]

This is wonderful! Do you happen to have 'Remember Harlem' from the same show?

[@Posark]

Nifty

[@marcosconsuelos3894]

Does anyone know what type of bracelet he has on?

[@dirkachimdhonau1612]

Man bekommt Lust Pfeife zu rauchen

[@GuenterBuhles]

*****

[@TimothyBIinks]

I don't know if I've ever heard beauty and dissonance tied so tightly together. Yeegads that pipe is distracting and weird though.

[@CoDaC35]

Coolest mfer ever… just jamming with a tobacco pipe lol

[@charlesduckettjr.800]

PC liberals watching this be like "He should be put in jail for smoking that pipe!"

[@styven77]

Does it hurt to be that stupid?

[@rhmayer1]

I'm actually impressed that a conservative enjoyed Paul Bley's music enough to try to defend him against terrible liberals. It's moronic, feeble and just dumb, but I'm still impressed with the fact that a conservative is capable of digging Paul Bley.

[@sssnacksss]

PC liberals? huh. should we be concerned that the pipe didn’t ask for consent? Sorry…i don’t connect to what you’re saying at all. Tobacco isn’t really a “pc” thing, no? don’t “liberals” use tobacco products?