''Paul Bley'' is the second album by Canadian jazz pianist
Paul Bley featuring tracks recorded in 1954 and released on Wing Records (a Mercury Records subsidiary established in 1955).
Reception
Eugene Chadbourne, reviewing the album for
Allmusic, said of the album: "Pick a personality trait of the Paul Bley style and chances are it won't be found anywhere here, as lovely a piano trio jazz record as this is... For the most part the tone of the pianist remains almost frigid in its consistency; volume level rarely varies and the direction of the improvisations is solidly mainstream... The obvious problem with someone like Bley or Jimi Hendrix is that once they developed their totally unique musical personality, their earlier work starts to sound a little boring".
[Chadbourne, E]
Allmusic Review
accessed October 2, 2012 ''
The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' said "At this stage of his career, he's a very orthodox bopper, aware of the blues but certainly not restricted by them, possibly exploring aspects of
Tristano's evolution as well, and certainly listening to classical pianists for technique and harmonic ideas".
Track listing
# "
Topsy Topsy may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Topsy, a character in the novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''
* Topsy, a character in the 2018 film ''Mary Poppins Returns''
* ''Topsy and Eva'', a 1928 film based on ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''
* ''Topsy and Tim'', ...
" (
Edgar Battle,
Eddie Durham) - 2:46
# "My Heart" (
Paul Bley) - 2:43
# "
That Old Feeling" (
Lew Brown,
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatre. ...
) - 2:41
# "
There Will Never Be Another You" (
Mack Gordon,
Harry Warren
Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...
) - 5:50
# "Autumn Breeze" (
Milt Jackson
Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...
) - 3:13
# "
I Want to Be Happy" (
Irving Caesar,
Vincent Youmans) - 2:22
# "My Old Flame" (
Sam Coslow,
Arthur Johnston) - 3:30
# "
Time on My Hands" (
Harold Adamson, Gordon, Youmans) - 3:34
# "Drum One" (
Paul Bley) - 2:24
# "
This Can't Be Love" (
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include " Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", "Bewitched, Both ...
,
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...
) - 3:12
# "
My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do)" (
George Gershwin,
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...
) - 6:47
# "
52nd Street Theme
This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk.
0-9 52nd Street Theme
A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" b ...
" (
Thelonious Monk) - 2:49
*Recorded at Fine Sound Studios in New York City on February 3 (tracks 5 & 9), August 26 (tracks 1-4 & 7) and August 20 (tracks 6, 8 & 10-12), 1954
Personnel
*
Paul Bley -
piano
*
Percy Heath
Percy Heath (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005) was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet throughout ...
(tracks 5 & 9),
Peter Ind (tracks 1-4, 6-8 & 10-12) -
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
*Alan Levitt -
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
References
{{Authority control
1955 albums
Paul Bley albums
EmArcy Records albums