PAUL BLEY — Solo (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

JON BALLANTYNE | PAUL BLEY — A Musing (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ballantyne is a bright new Canadian piano star. He gets a good sound from the instrument and plays just as much or as little as he needs to get his point across. Nowhere is this better illustrated than on Question, an exploration that discovers all of the melody's most telling points. On Alternative Vision and Polka Dots he takes a more aggressive stance as befits an amiable piano and drum duel. It is the former that shows off his chops but it is the latter that demonstrates his natural way with a tune.
The duets are beautifully stage-managed. Neither player tries to showboat, the interaction is subtle but there is no loss of creative intent or rhythmic virility. Both men are listeners and they approach each task in their own individual manner. Zacotic finds them at their most reflective. If You Like has some fine treble jousting, while Viattya comes over as if a modern blues march by a single player. Ballantyne is a pianist to watch - and hear. Justin Time    Tracklist & Credits :  

PAUL BLEY | SONNY GREENWICH — Outside In (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This duet set by pianist Paul Bley and guitarist Sonny Greenwich, after two melodic solos by Greenwich and Bley's feature on "Arrival," becomes a loose bop session. "Meandering" is a blues and, in the tradition of Lennie Tristano, the origins of the originals "Willow" and "You Are" are not too difficult to figure out. The music does meander a bit but mostly swings in a floating way. Although there are some freer moments, this is as straight as Paul Bley has played on records in years and Sonny Greenwich also sounds fairly conservative, at least if one does not listen too closely. It's a relaxed and very interesting set. Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY | JANE BUNNETT — Double Time (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY — Sweet Time (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sweet Time, like the albums Open, to Love, Hands On, Tears, and Changing Hands, is an elliptical, mystifying masterpiece that displays Bley's uncanny knack for creating crystalline, gleaming musical structures from the most minimal of means. Take for instance a spontaneous balladic composition such as "Never Again," with its gently dissonant skeletal body that becomes a ghostly study in intervallic extension -- along a row of eight notes and a host of chords built from their rearrangement into a new architecture, equally spare but far from sparse. It's a piece that requires an emotional response to enter initially because so little is apparent to the ear. When, in the middle of the tune, he shifts into droning regal chords and staggering arpeggios that leap into the scalar heavens from the original chords and pitches, the effect is stunning, breathtaking. On the tune "Contrary," Bley constructs two-handed melodic counterpoint. In the top middle register he flows scales and arpeggios together that stagger one another, while in the lower middle register he undoes them by taking the root note of the root chord and reflecting the second, not the current, arpeggio in the right hand. In the lower scale he moves through both Handel and Pachelbel for grins before striking it all and entering into a quick study of minor sevenths and diminished ninths. On the title track, Bley reveals what makes him a legend in the history of jazz and not -- as the snot-nosed new breed of "cultural" critics would have him -- a footnote. Bley moves a standard ragtime meter and creates a rhythmic counterpoint by shifting into deeper blues waters. Here again, in the lower middle register of the piano, Bley finds the elemental means by which to construct a narrative that is at once elliptical yet rooted in traditions so old you can smell the dirt. Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Bud Powell, and Roosevelt Sykes all make their voices heard in Bley's blues. As if that wasn't enough, he shifts his focus briefly to a different kind of blues: Occidental and Oriental blues, as if trying to create a musical mythology in scalar phrases and open, droning, modal chords. There are places in Bley's music, especially when he digs in, playing an idea over and over again and altering it note by note until it suddenly emerges in an entirely new construct, that spoken -- or in this case written -- language ceases to have meaning because it cannot convey even a simile of what is transpiring in the music. That Bley's music is original is a given, that its beauty is towering is an understatement, that it can only be comprehended in the depths of the human heart is simply the truth.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-

PAUL BLEY — Basics (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist/composer Paul Bley's indisputable contributions to modern jazz and improvisation are somewhat legendary. Whether exploring parts unknown with clarinetist Jimmy Guiffre or when citing his highly acclaimed stints with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian, not to mention some of his early endeavors with the bebop crowd, Bley's unique craft resides in a class of its own.

And with this 2001 solo piano performance titled Basics, the artist continues to meld mainstream applications with forward thinking concepts and his somewhat infamous implementations of subtle melodic intervals amid ingenious utilization of space and depth. Here, the pianist presents a series of original compositions along with Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Mood."

Through it all, Bley's expressive lyricism provides the listener with melodious, interweaving sequences brimming with lush statements, sweeping arpeggios, and animated choruses, while his richly thematic composition "Told You So" features a lovely childlike theme constructed upon R&B motifs, rhythmic block chords, and daintily executed harmonies. Hence, a complex musician at work as Paul Bley intermingles askew phraseology with geometrically fabricated lines and endearing propositions. Recommended! Justin Time
Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY — Nothing To Declare (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Arguably, pianist and composer Paul Bley is at his best on his solo outings. It's not that his ensemble music is lacking in any way; it may even be more sophisticated. But in his solo settings, Bley truly allows the listener in on his sound world, his manner of lyric thinking, his conflicts, his ideas of silence and its place, and his dialogues with the music and their outcome. Nothing to Declare is his fifth solo outing for Justin Time.

There are four pieces, the shortest of which is over eight minutes long. In these long solos, Bley doesn't just stretch out; he rambles across ideas in song and in musical history; he approaches concepts and techniques with the same weight he does his innate pointillistic lyricism. His engagement of the blues is everywhere present but not always apparent. His beautiful meditation on Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are" cuts across notions of jazz, popular song, and classical notions, while his "8th Avenue" pays a beautiful and engrossing tribute to Fats Waller.

"Breakdown" is an excursion into the intricacies of the blues, from its phraseology and tonalities to its elemental song forms and modulations. In all, Nothing to Declare is Bley's best outing for Justin Time thus far. It's simple in its presentation, but labyrinthine in its journeys. Justin Time
Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY — About Time (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pianist and composer Paul Bley has been making records now for more than 50 years. His solo recordings encompass a great deal of his generous catalog. Bley has studied so many different aspects of jazz, and improvisational music both American and European, that these recordings always offer a revealing, no-holds-barred glimpse of where he's at as a musician at any given time. About Time, released on the Montreal label Justin Time, contains just two pieces: the 33-plus-minute title track and the Sonny Rollins tune "Pent-Up House," which lasts another ten. They reveal the entire range of Bley's considerable gifts as a pianist and improviser. Indeed, "About Time" literally runs the gamut of Bley's interests throughout his entire career: there is the now trademark pointillism, and improvisation that seeks elongated microtones, but that is just the beginning. The subtle expressionism he brought to listeners on his monumental ECM recording Open, to Love in 1972 is abundant here; however, this is not an introspective look at one subject but at the rainbow of musical and even philosophic ideas that jazz is able to put forth inside an improvised work. Blues, ragtime, the gorgeous and mysterious tonal investigations of Darius Milhaud and Erik Satie, and explorations of the jazz history book on his chosen instrument -- the ghosts of Jelly Roll Morton, Teddy Wilson, Bud Powell, Ray Bryant, Mal Waldron, Andrew Hill, and Randy Weston -- all leave their mark here. But Bley pulls this enormous monolith off not by merely jamming things together, but warmly and humorously incorporating his own sonic personality into each of his tropes and ideas, so that the artist shines through directly, and yes, even humbly. "Pent-Up House" comes out of the gate in the upper register of the piano, weaving blues, bop, and Rollins' sense of humor -- his work from those early days revealed a deep love of show tune harmonics and melodies. Bley moves the piece into an improvisation on the theme that is tender and poetic, and flirts with melancholy but never gets there as his left hand walks the blues in a counter-rhythm with melodic investigation to his right, which is already off riffing on the original theme and creating a spellbinding space for the listener. As he returns again to the theme, extrapolating modes and moods, he makes Rollins' hard bopper something else: a sprightly improvisation that reveals all the complexities and nuances of the composer, not just the pianist. About Time is a truly worthy and elegant statement from one of the true greats in the jazz piano lineage, and these intermittently released solo offerings of his are always worth the investment of time and money, because they open up visible but usually unnoticeable sound worlds to those who will open their ears and listen. Further, his work is never that of an artist who has arrived somewhere and remains on his plateau -- Paul Bley is always reaching for higher ground.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist & Credits :

BOB MOVER TRIO ft. PAUL BLEY & JOHN ABERCROMBIE - The Night Bathers (1986-1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

When one considers the instrumentation (alto, piano and guitar) and the personnel (Bob Mover, Paul Bley and John Abercrombie), it is not surprising that this date is full of thoughtful, chance-taking and often lyrical improvisations. Most of the selections are either duets or unaccompanied solos, and although there are some melodies, the music was pretty much all improvised on the spot. An intriguing set. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    The Night Bathers    6:10
2    Berg-Like    3:31
3    Hélène    1:21
4    Suite In 4 Parts    10:13
5    We Burn    1:36
6    Beach Music    6:33
7    Randomland    5:01
8    John's 1st Synthony    2:02
9    Fathoms    3:07
10    Sonny Claws    1:51
11    Angelica    3:20
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Bob Mover
Electric Guitar, Guitar [Guitar Synth] – John Abercrombie
Piano – Paul Bley

HALIE LOREN - Stages (2010) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Jazz singer/songwriter Halie Loren provides a well-rounded sense of her musical style on her first live album and third album overall, Stages. Although she does not play an instrument, she fronts a piano-dominated quartet featuring keyboard player Matt Treder (who also chimes in on vocals occasionally), bassist Mark Schneider, drummer Brian West, and trumpeter Tim McLaughlin. The combination of the prominent piano and Loren's supple alto voice inevitably suggests Diana Krall. But Loren has a somewhat lighter, less mannered sense of phrasing, and less of a hardcore jazz sensibility. Call her singing style Krall with a flavoring of the less serious side of Joni Mitchell, then. In addition to a few of her own songs (among them "Free to Be Loved by Me," co-written with songwriting veteran Rick Chudacoff), Loren addresses a range of material from traditional jazz fare like "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Summertime" to rock standards like the Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" and U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." She brings up what may be her own female vocal heroines with "Ipanema" (Astrud Gilberto), "Cry Me a River" (Julie London), and a version of Patti Cathcart' (of Tuck & Patti) amusing "High Heel Blues," rendered a cappella. Her backup musicians are given most of the jazz duties, and while Loren employs enough unusual line readings to justify the "jazz" tag herself, it's her accompanists who really make this a jazz recording. by William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist :
1     Danger in Loving You 3:16
Larry Wayne Clark / Halie Loren
2     Sunny Afternoon 3:27
Ray Davies
3     I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For 5:42
Adam Clayton / Paul Hewson / Larry Mullen, Jr. / Victoria Reina
4     More 4:05
Rick Chudacoff / Halie Loren / Victoria Shaw
5     Cry Me a River 4:50
Arthur Hamilton
6     The Girl from Ipanema 4:32
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
7     Free to Be Loved by Me 3:55
Rick Chudacoff / Halie Loren
8     Is You or Is You Ain't My Baby 4:23
Billy Austin / Louis Jordan
9     Love Me Like a River Does 3:36
Melody Gardot
10     They Oughta Write a Song 3:37
Larry Wayne Clark / Halie Loren
11     High Heel Blues 3:44
Patricia Andress
12     Summertime 6:03
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
13     My Rainbow Race 3:31
Pete Seeger
- Bonus Tracks -    
14    I'd Rather Go Blind     5:04
15    Nearness Of You    4:57
Credits :
Bass – Mark Schneider
Drums – Brian West
Keyboards – Matt Treder
Trumpet – Tim McLaughlin
Vocals – Halie Loren

ALEX PANGMAN — Have a Little Fun (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Some of These Days 2:17  
Shelton Brooks / Paul Rardin
2    Are You Having Any Fun 2:23  
Sammy Fain / Jack Yellen
3    The Fog Song 4:15
Alex Pangman
4    The Panic Is On 3:36
George Clark / Bert Clarke / Winston Collins Tharp / Thomas Waller
5    I'm Confessin' 3:01   
Doc Daugherty / Al J. Neiburg / Ellis Reynolds
6    It Felt So Good to Be So Bad 3:50    
Alex Pangman
7    Just One More Chance 3:06    
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
8    Shanghai Lil 4:11
Al Dubin / Harry Warren
9    Out of Nowhere 4:26    
John W. Green / Edward Heyman
10    Stardust 3:55
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
11    Melancholy Lullaby 3:24  
Alex Pangman
12    Topsy Turvy 3:22     
Alex Pangman
13    Undecided 2:48  
Sydney Robin / Charlie Shavers
14    Some of These Days (Intro) 0:30
Shelton Brooks / Paul Rardin
Credits:
Bass – Chris Banks (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13), Michael Herring (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9 to 11)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Ross Wooridge (tracks: 4, 6, 8, 12, 13)
Drums – Chris Lamont (tracks: 6, 8, 12, 13), Glenn Anderson (tracks: 3, 4)
Guitar – Jesse Barksdale (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 12, 13)
Guitar [Guest] – Bucky Pizzarelli (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9 to 11)
Piano – Peter Hill (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13)
Producer – Alex Pangman, Don Kerr
Trombone – Laurie Bower (tracks: 3)
Trumpet – Brigham Phillips (tracks: 4, 6, 8, 12, 13)
Violin – Drew Jurecka (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9 to 11)
Vocals – Alex Pangman