CARLA BLEY

Born: 1936, Oakland CA
Moved to NYC: 1954
Education: no formal music training; worked as a cigarette girl at Birdland

 Influenced by:
Erik Satie, George Russell, Thelonius Monk

Influenced:
many of the free improvisers in the 1960s; Steve Swallow; Charlie Haden

Great works and styles: Escalator over the Hill (rock/jazz fusion opera); Small avant-garde pieces in the 1960s; Big band music; Arranged/composed for Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra; classical chamber music

Significant Jazz Composer Innovations

 Participated in the  Jazz Composers Guild Orchestra (formed 1964)– to play avant-garde pieces for large orchestral ensembles

Cofounded (with Mike Mantler) in 1972, the New Music Distribution Service for publishing, recording and distributing works that were not in the  mainstream.

Quotes

“Her compositional style is impossible to classify” – Amy Beal

 “She is not afraid of schmaltz, although she often adds lemon juice to it” – Steve Elman

Links to music videos

Lawns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkBU5aM_6zM

Ida Lupino (Paul Bley, piano; Gary Peacock, bass; John Gilmore, tenor sax; Paul Motian, drums)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsbDIX8VSkk

Liberation Jazz Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6sOX1gBCsA

Reactionary Tango

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbcG_mIXRNA

 Links to Interviews and articles about Carla

NYU Steinhardt Jazz Series – Carla Bley interviewed by David Schroeder in 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InmPzLSo_CI

NYU Steinhardt Jazz Series – Steve Swallow and Carla Bley interviewd by David Schroeder in 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8b2i9fPu20

The making of Escalator

https://ethaniverson.com/accomplishing-escalator-over-the-hill-by-carla-bley/

More resources and information about each composer are found at
Mary Lou Williams
Geri Allen
Carla Bley
Christine Jensen