Today, Paul Bley is often thought of as a free-jazz trailblazer and avatar of the avant-garde. But in the beginning, in the early 1950s, the Canadian pianist was a swinging modernist, leaning heavily on bop. Back then, Bley led several trios in New York and recorded two albums—Introducing Paul Bley (Debut) and Paul Bley (Emarcy).
The album for Charles Mingus's Debut label was recorded in November 1953 and featured Bley (p), Mingus (b) and Art Blakey (d). The songs were Opus One, Teapot (also known as Walkin'), Like Someone in Love, Spontaneous Combustion, Split Kick and I Can't Get Started, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Opus One (alternate take), This Time the Dream's on Me, Zootcase and Theme. [Photo above of Paul Bley]
Paul Bley on Emarcy was recorded in several sessions in 1954. The February date featured Paul Bley (p), Percy Heath (b) and Al Levitt (d). They recorded Autumn Breeze, Drum One and 52nd Street Theme. In August, Topsy, My Heart, That Old Feeling and There Will Never Be Another You were added.
Three days later in August, bassist Peter Ind replaced Heath. They recorded My Old Flame, I Want to Be Happy, Time on My Hands, This Can't Be Love, My One and Only and Willow Weep for Me.
According to an interview in the July 13, 1955 Downbeat magazine, Bley was already thinking about the avant-garde, expressing a desire to write longer originals "without a chordal center." In 1956, Bley's trio with bassist Hal Gaylor and drummer Lennie McBrowne toured the U.S. with a brief gig in Mexico. The last stop was a New Year's Eve party at the Palm Springs home of Lucile Ball and Desi Arnez.
During the gig, Bley collapsed with a bleeding ulcer. Ball took Bley to the hospital and reportedly picked up the tab for his care. Karen Borg, the cigarette girl Bley had met at New York's Birdland earlier that year, flew out to meet him in L.A. They married in '57 and she became pianist-composer Carla Bley (above).
Bley's early trio recordings are interesting because we know where Bley winds up—with Ornette Coleman, George Russell, Mingus, Jimmy Giuffre, Don Ellis and other abstractionists of 1959 and the early '60s. These early recordings are straight ahead, but there are early rumblings of experimental coloration between the chords. And his bop solos on the recordings were solid and lyrical, particularly on I Want to Be Happy and Time on My Hands.
Paul Bley died in 2016 at 83.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find these recordings on Paul Bley: Early Trios (Fresh Sound) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Time on My Hands...
Here's My Heart...
And here's I Want to Be Happy...
