![]() During 1963-64 he played in Sonny Rollins' quartet, touring Japan in 1963, and in 1964 Bley worked with Albert Ayler. During 1961-62, he was part of a ground-breaking free trio with Jimmy Giuffre (reeds) and Steve Swallow (double bass), and also worked with Swallow, the bassist Gary Peacock, and the drummer Paul Motian in other groups in the early 1960s. Returning to New York in 1959, Bley performed and recorded in groups led by, among others, Charles Mingus, George Russell, and Don Ellis. Bley married his first wife, the composer Karen Borg (later known as Carla Bley), in 1957. Like many jazz artists in that decade, Bley had played mostly in the predominant bop idiom, and it was during his engagements in Los Angeles (including the quintet with Coleman and Cherry, and free duets with the Canadian trumpeter Herb Spanier) that he began to play what later became known as free jazz. During October 1958 he led a quintet at the Hillcrest that included Ornette Coleman (alto saxophone), Don Cherry (trumpet), Billy Higgins (drums), and Charlie Haden (double bass). In 1957 Bley relocated to Los Angeles, where his bookings included a lengthy engagement at the Hillcrest Club. Also in 1953, a trio led by Bley appeared in the film documentary, Canadian Cameo Series: Spotlight Number 5.ĭuring the mid-1950s, Bley toured with his own trio and also appeared in groups led by Lester Young, Chet Baker, and others. ![]() The Jazz Workshop organized a February 1953 visit to Montreal by Charlie Parker, including a live performance with a local rhythm section (Bley, piano) on CBFT television. In 1952 he co-founded the Jazz Workshop in Montreal, a musician-controlled organization that presented concerts featuring soloists from New York accompanied by local musicians. Although based in New York, Bley remained active in the Montreal scene. His US debut recording, Introducing Paul Bley (with Charles Mingus, double bass Art Blakey, drums), was released in 1953. In 1950 Bley enrolled in the Juilliard School, New York, and became active in that city's jazz scene, performing in groups led by Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, and others. In 1949, he replaced Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge. During the mid- to late 1940s, he performed in and led jazz groups in and around Montreal (often performing as Hy or Buzzy Bley). Although less well-known than his contemporaries Oscar Peterson and Maynard Ferguson, he was perhaps the Canadian who has most influenced the broader course of jazz music.Īs a child in Montreal, Bley first studied violin and then piano, including taking courses at the McGill Conservatorium. A pioneer of free jazz and the avant-garde, Bley performed with a wide range of creative improvisers in a career that has spanned seven decades. ![]() Hyman Paul Bley, pianist, electric keyboardist, composer (born 10 November 1932 in Montréal, QC died 3 January 2016 in Stuart, Florida.) Bley was one of the few Canadian jazz musicians of his generation to achieve international recognition as a concert and recording artist. Jazz pianist Paul Bley (photo by Mark Miller).
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