Time Will Tell: Conversations with Paul BleyAs a Musician, pianist Paul Bley has done it all. He's played, as he says "everywhere, with everybody," from Lester Young to Pat Metheny. He has performed as both soloist and bandleader, founded his own label, organized his own festival, toured the world and recorded over 100 discs, in styles ranging from bop, to free playing, to romantic balladry. Recently turned 70, Bley invited musicologist Norman Meehan to participate in a series of wide-ranging interviews on every aspect of his long career. Here is not only a prominent musician but a unique theorist, reflecting in his characteristically forthright way on the business of jazz ("contract is a non-improvised word"); his minimalist approach to performance ("the first person to play a note is chicken!"); his fellow musicians ("I'm an antagonist of Bill Evans"); his attitude toward technique: ("it's not even a problem"); his perfectionism ("I love the expression, 'going past excellence'), and much else besides. Bley also discusses his plans for the future, including involvement with world music and "that big media in the sky called DVD." The interviews are complemented by brief musicological sections and analysis of key recordings. Wonderfully frank and provocative, Time Will Tell reveals a man whose opinions are as distinctively inscribed as his music. Book jacket. |
Common terms and phrases
able acoustic piano aesthetic album already Annette Peacock art form artists atonal audience ballad band bandstand Barry Altschul bass player bassist bebop better Bill Evans Bley's music Bley's solo Brant Carla Bley Charlie Parker chord changes chord progression classical Coleman Hawkins composers composition concert decade Don Cherry drummer drums electronic ensemble erasure phrases everything example free jazz free music Gary Peacock happen harmonic hear hired idea important included instrument Jaco jazz musician jazz performance Jimmy Giuffre Juilliard label left hand listener melody meter metrical Mingus never notes Ornette Coleman Paul Bley Paul Motian pianist piece pitch premise question record date repertoire rhythm section rhythmic saxophone saxophonist session skills someone song Sonny Rollins standards Steve Swallow studies style synthesizer talking technique tempo things timbral timbre tonal center trio trumpet trying tune written music York