Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Carla Bley: The Lost Chords

161

Carla Bley: The Lost Chords

By

Sign in to view read count
Carla Bley: The Lost Chords
Carla Bley is interesting and witty in relating the experiences of the band on their first European tour in the liner notes to this new release. The pictures are great too, and if one wants to get deeper into the whole experience, just log on to the Watt web site and have dollops of fun! It is easy to see what led to the name of The Lost Chords.

Bley is an uncompromising composer. She writes with wit and a quirky sense of direction. Could there be problems with that? An unusual trajectory is well worth cocking an ear, or two, to. She offers an odd sense of air and time, meters that do not fall into a predictable groove. With the kind of assimilators, and interpreters, of her music that undertook the journey with her, the results could only be endearing.

As just one example, there is Andy Sheppard on the soprano sax, probing lines that tumble into billowing circular grooves that at first spell "Wink Leak" then extend into "Traps" and "Leonard Feather" and get a slam dunk of a workout. His breathing evolutes, changing the temperament and the pulse, until he blows out for Steve Swallow and Billy Drummond, who open up the space, their conversation unhurried yet punched with eloquence.

Ideas change shape and coalesce into some funky stuff that goes by the name of "Hip Hop," with Bley playing a cativating piano melody that gets a bounce on the bass from Swallow. This is an absolute delight, the final irresistible pull coming from Sheppard and his tenor, riding high on bop and unleashing a veritable pantheon of stimulating ideas. A hip tune, most decidedly!

There is much more that is elating in this noteworthy document, all of which reinforces the significance of Bley as a composer.

Visit Carla Bley online at www.wattxtrawatt.com .

Track Listing

3 Blind Mice: 3 Blind Mice, Wink Leak/Traps/Leonard Feather, The Maze/Blind Mice Redux; Hip Hop; Tropical Depression; Red; Lost Chords: I, II, III.

Personnel

Carla Bley: piano; Andy Sheppard: soprano and tenor saxophones; Steve Swallow: bass; Billy Drummond: drums.

Album information

Title: The Lost Chords | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Watt/ECM

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.