Paul Bley - Notes On Ornette - 1998

Product Description: Considering the cataclysmic nature of his impact and the high regard in which his compositions are held, it's remarkable how seldom Ornette Coleman gets covered. Part of the reason is that the changes set into motion by the free-jazz revolution didn't slow down until things like measurable time and definable pitch were no longer basic to the music. So the avant-garde that Coleman had inspired rarely played his tunes or even, with a few exceptions, copped many of his licks-quite a contrast to the hard-boppers' dissection of the Parker oeuvre. At the same time, many in the mainstream world still view Ornette as a charlatan. It's really still a small number that enjoy blowing over a swing rhythm without predetermined harmonic references.

Paul Bley was among the very first to get Coleman's message, as Ornette's original quartet virtually came into being sitting in at the pianist's Hillcrest Club gig in 1958. Live recordings from the time show that Bley fit in better than any other pianist ever would. History aside, the musical affinity of these two is obvious. Bley has always loved the unpredictable, and Coleman's quirky lines seem to really inspire him. There have been so many Bley records over the last 20-odd years that only diehards try to keep up with all of them, but anyone who has ever enjoyed the pianist should seek out Notes on Ornette. Bley still enjoys throwing seemingly unrelated bits of improvised melody together, but here he often goes to the other extreme, spinning out lines that seem endless in which a few simple ideas continually transmogrify. His touch is more precise and brittle than ever, and he sounds positively happy throughout. Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirshfield are almost ideal in support. Both have excellent instrumental sound and big ears. I enjoyed this CD even more than Paul's recording of Carla Bley tunes of a few years back. ~ Duck Baker (jazztimes.com)

Review: These are the tunes that have become the stuff of legend. And don’t just take it from this reviewer, ask Pat Metheny and countless others who have found something to say in the early compositions of Ornette Coleman. Either because he was on the West Coast working with Coleman and Don Cherry at the time or because he sees their inherent greatness too, pianist Paul Bley has chosen from the Ornette canon pieces dating from the late ‘50s for this exceedingly bright tribute event.

Bley, at times, can be a brooding musician, although the more carefree exuberance of be-bop is not a foreign concept to him. Here with Notes on Ornette, the darker aspects of Bley’s musical personality suits the pointed and slightly melancholy nature of Coleman’s work. Among the high points, “Crossroads” bristles with frenetic energy, Bley’s clusters across the keyboard (a la Cecil Taylor) clashing against bassist Jay Anderson’s slapping strings. With a joyful noise that answers the musical question, “When Will the Blues Leave?” sprints along at a jovial pace. The longest cut here, “Turnaround” takes it place among other stellar versions in one of the showpieces of the entire set, Bley exhibiting the kind of “classical” chops that allow his fingers to respond instantly to his creative whims.

Another fine item to be added to Bley’s list of SteepleChase classics, this set not only speaks to this trio’s collective veracity but also to Coleman’s enduring genius as a writer. In fact, I’m sure the composer would be proud.

Note: Credit to nidzo , the original uploader.