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Tier 3 · vertical & regionalfull biography
Paul Bley
Person · male · Canada · Montreal · born 1932 · died 2016 · recording since 1955
Canadian free jazz, post-bop pianist and keyboardist (1932-2016)
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Also known as 保罗·布雷 · 保羅·布雷
Timeline
60 events▣ Album 57◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1930s
1950s
· Debut release
Debut release: Paul Bley
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Biography
English biography1,722 words · 8 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1367902090
Biography
Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and ARP synthesizers. His music has been described by Ben Ratliff of the New York Times as "deeply original and aesthetically aggressive". Bley's prolific output includes influential recordings from the 1950s through to his solo piano recordings of the 2000s.
Early life
Bley was born in Montreal, Quebec, on November 10, 1932. His adoptive parents were Betty Marcovitch, an immigrant from Romania, and Joseph Bley, owner of an embroidery factory, who named him Hyman Bley. However, in 1993 a relative from the New York branch of the Bley family walked into the Sweet Basil Jazz Club in New York City and informed Bley that his father was actually his biological parent. At age five Bley began studying the violin, but at age seven, after his mother divorced his father, he decided to switch to the piano. By eleven he had received a junior diploma from the McGill Conservatory in Montreal. At thirteen he formed a band which played at summer resorts in Ste. Agathe, Quebec. As a teenager he changed his name to "Paul," thinking that girls would find it more attractive. Also as a teenager, he played with touring American bands, including Al Cowan's Tramp Band. In 1949, when Bley was starting his senior year of high school, Oscar Peterson asked Bley to fulfill his contract at the Alberta Lounge in Montreal. The next year Bley left Montreal for New York City and Juilliard. Bley lived in the United States for his entire adult life, but never renounced his Canadian citizenship.
1950s
In 1951, on summer break from Juilliard, Bley returned to Montreal where he helped organize the Montreal Jazz Workshop. In 1953 Bley invited the bebop alto saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker to the Jazz Workshop, where he played and recorded with him, making the record Charlie Parker Montreal 1953. When Bley returned to New York City he hired Jackie McLean, Al Levitt and Doug Watkins to play an extended gig at the Copa City on Long Island. From the early 1950s until 1960 Bley did a series of trios with Al Levitt and Peter Ind; recordings of this trio in 1954 were included in the Mercury album Paul Bley. In 1953 the Shaw Agency booked Bley and his trio to tour with Lester Young, billed as "Lester Young and the Paul Bley Trio" in advertisements. He also performed with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster at that time. Additionally, in 1953, Charles Mingus produced the Introducing Paul Bley album for his label, Debut Records with Mingus on bass and drummer Art Blakey. (In 1960 Bley recorded again with the Charles Mingus Group.)
In 1954, Bley received a call from Chet Baker inviting him to play opposite Baker's quintet at Jazz City in Hollywood, California, for the month of March. This was followed by a tour with singer Dakota Staton. Down Beat Magazine interviewed Bley for its July 13, 1955, issue. The prescient title of the article read, "PAUL BLEY, Jazz Is Just About Ready for Another Revolution". The article, reprinted in Down Beat's 50th Anniversary edition, quoted Bley as saying, "I'd like to write longer forms, I'd like to write music without a chordal center."
Bley's trio with Hal Gaylor and Lennie McBrowne toured across the US in 1956, including a club in Juarez. Mexico. The tour culminated with an invitation to play a 1956 New Year's Eve gig at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's home in Palm Springs. During the evening, Bley collapsed on the bandstand with a bleeding ulcer and Lucille immediately took him to the Palm Springs Hospital where she proceeded to pay for all of his medical care. Bley, who had met Karen Borg while she was working as a cigarette girl at Birdland in New York, married her after she came out to meet him in Los Angeles, where she became Carla Bley.
In 1957, Bley stayed in Los Angeles where he had the house band at the Hillcrest Club. By 1958 the original band, with vibe player, Dave Pike, evolved into a quintet with Bley hiring young avant garde musicians trumpet player Don Cherry, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins.
1960s
In the early 1960s, Bley was part of a trio with Jimmy Giuffre on reeds and Steve Swallow on bass. Its repertoire included compositions by Giuffre, Bley and his now ex-wife, composer Carla Bley. The group's music presented innovations in chamber jazz and free jazz. The 1961 European tour of The Giuffre 3 shocked a public expecting Bebop, however the many recordings released from this tour have proven to be classics of free jazz. During the same period, Bley was touring and recording with tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, which culminated with the RCA Victor album Sonny Meets Hawk! with tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Bley's solo on "All the Things You Are" from this album has been called "the shot heard around the world" by Pat Metheny.
In 1964, Bley was instrumental in the formation of the Jazz Composers Guild, a co-operative organization which brought together many free jazz musicians in New York: Bill Dixon, Roswell Rudd, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Carla Bley, Michael Mantler, Sun Ra, and others. The guild organized weekly concerts and created a forum for the "October Revolution" of 1964. The influential album, Turning Point
Turning PointSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Calls6:132Turning6:323King Korn6:034Ictus4:095Mr. Joy3:496Kid Dynamite3:427Ida Lupino5:26, released by Improvising Artists in 1975, was recorded in 1964 when Bley brought John Gilmore, Gary Peacock, and Paul Motian to the University of Washington.
In the late 1960s, Bley pioneered the use of the ARP and Moog synthesizers, doing the first live synthesizer performance at Philharmonic Hall in New York City on December 26, 1969. This "Bley-Peacock Synthesizer Show" performance, a group with singer/composer Annette Peacock, who had written much of his personal repertoire since 1964, was followed by her playing on the recordings Dual Unity (credited to "Annette & Paul Bley") and Improvisie. The latter was a French release of two extended improvisational tracks with Bley on synthesizers, Peacock's voice and keyboards, and percussion by Dutch free jazz drummer Han Bennink, who had also appeared on part of Dual Unity.
1970s
In 1972, Manfred Eicher released Bley's first solo piano recording, Open, to Love, on ECM Records. Bley also released the trio album, Paul Bley & Scorpio
Paul Bley & ScorpioSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1El Cordobes4:33A2Capricorn5:31A3King Korn4:55A4Dreams6:17B1Syndrome7:55B2Gesture Without Plot9:45B3Ictus4:05 for Milestone Records in 1972 on which he plays two electric pianos and Arp synthesizer. In 1974, Bley and video artist Carol Goss, his second wife, founded the production company Improvising Artists, known as IAI Records & Video. The label issued acoustic recordings by many of the most creative improvisers of the twentieth century as well as the electric quartet album, Jaco, the debut recording of Pat Metheny on electric guitar and Jaco Pastorius on electric bass, with Bley on electric piano and Bruce Ditmas on drums. IAI records and videos include performances by Jimmy Giuffre, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Marion Brown, Gunter Hampel, Lester Bowie, Steve Lacy, Ran Blake, Perry Robinson, Naná Vasconcelos, Badal Roy, John Gilmore, Gary Peacock, two solo piano records by Sun Ra, and others. Bley and Carol Goss are credited in a Billboard cover story with the first commercial "music video". Goss produced live video recordings with IAI Records artists, projecting the images from analog video synthesizers during the performances. In addition, her video art is often accompanied by Paul Bley's solo piano music as well as his electric band recordings, some of which have not yet been released on audio records.
1980s
Bley was featured in Ron Mann's 1981 documentary film Imagine the Sound, in which he performs and discusses the evolution of free jazz and his music. Bley began to record for multiple labels in the 1980s in many different formats including: solo piano albums Tears
TearsSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Tears6:342Ostinato3:403Music Matador5:104Walkman4:035Flame3:506Hardly1:527Head Over Heels5:208Solo Rose3:439For Roy E.3:04 for Owl Records, Tango Palace
Tango PalaceSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Tango Palace3:40A2C.G.3:09A3Woogie2:22A4A.G.B.4:08A5But Beautiful6:20B1Return Love5:31B2Bound2:38B3Zebra Walk2:55B4Please4:50B5Explain5:30 for Soulnote, PAUL BLEY SOLO for Justin Time Records, Blues for Red for Red Records, and Solo Piano for SteepleChase Records; duo and larger-group recordings Diane (album) with Chet Baker for SteepleChase Records, The Montreal Tapes with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian for Verve, Fragments with John Surman, Bill Frisell, and Paul Motian for ECM, three new recordings with Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow for Owl Records, and numerous other recordings.
1990s
Bley continued to tour in Europe, Japan, South America and the US recording prolifically as a soloist and with a wide range of ensembles. In 1993 the Montreal International Jazz Festival produced a Paul Bley Homage concert series of four nights. In some years he recorded more than eight albums. Notably, Bley revisited the synthesizer in a record for Postcards titled Synthesis.
During this time, Bley also became a part-time faculty member of the New England Music Conservatory, where he taught musicians Satoko Fujii and Yitzhak Yedid. He would travel to Boston for one day a month, ostensibly to have lobster, often meeting with students in coffee shops as he considered that they already knew how to play, but needed guidance in life.
The American television network Bravo and the French-German network Arte co-produced a one-hour biography of Paul Bley in 1998.
Bley's autobiography was published in 1999
2000s
In 2001 the National Archives of Canada acquired Bley's archives. In 2003 a book based on Bley interviews by musicologist Norman Meehan (Time Will Tell) was published. It was an in depth discussion of the process of improvisation. In 2008, he was made a member of the Order of Canada. In 2009 the book Paul Bley: The Logic of Chance, written in Italian by jazz pianist Arrigo Cappelletti and translated into English by jazz pianist Greg Burk, was published. In addition to touring solo in the US and Europe, Bley released several solo piano recordings in this decade, including Basics, Nothing to Declare and About Time for Justin Time Records and Solo in Mondsee and Play Blue - Oslo Concert for ECM Records. Bley's last public performances were in 2010 playing a solo piano concert at the La Villette Jazz Festival in Paris, followed by a duo with Charlie Haden at BlueNote in New York City during a full moon.
Bley died of natural causes on January 3, 2016, at home in Stuart, Florida, aged 83.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 25 | 86.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 69 | 96.2th |
| Studio albums | 58 | 99.5th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 60 | 99.2th |
| Recording span (years) | 61 | 98.1th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (69 release groups · 58 studio albums)
Albums · 58
1955 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 41:57
A1Topsy2:46A2My Heart2:43A3That Old Feeling2:42A4There'll Never Be Another You5:51A5Autumn Breeze3:13A6I Want to Be Happy2:22B1My Old Flame3:31B2Time on My Hands3:34B3Drum One2:25B4This Can't Be Love3:13B5My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do)6:47B652nd Street Theme2:501964 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 40:13
A1When Will the Blues Leave6:11A2Floater6:31A3Turns3:17A4Around Again4:10B1Syndrome7:12B2Cousins4:42B3King Korn4:02B4Vashkar4:081968 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 40:51
A1Only Lovely6:20A2Kid Dynamite3:10A3Nothing Ever Was, Anyway5:44A4El Cordores6:04B1Ramblin'4:44B2Touching4:49B3Blood6:10B4Mr. Joy3:501969 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 43:15
A1Both9:30A2Albert’s Love Theme9:23A3Ida Lupino3:30B1Ramblin’5:50B2Touching7:30B3Mazatalon7:321971 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 32:40
AEnding17:24B1Circles3:03B2So Hard It Hurts12:131971 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 37:38
AImprovisie13:55BTouching23:431973 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 40:17
A1Meeting6:03A2Mating of Urgency3:51A3Carla4:21A4Olhos de Gato5:33B1Paradise Island2:20B2Upstairs3:07B3Later5:23B4Summer4:06B5Gesture Without Plot5:331973 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 43:00
A1Closer5:55A2Ida Lupino7:35A3Started5:21B1Open, to Love7:14B2Harlem3:27B3Seven7:25B4Nothing Ever Was, Anyway6:031973 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 43:01
A1El Cordobes4:33A2Capricorn5:31A3King Korn4:55A4Dreams6:17B1Syndrome7:55B2Gesture Without Plot9:45B3Ictus4:051975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 35:54
1Calls6:132Turning6:323King Korn6:034Ictus4:095Mr. Joy3:496Kid Dynamite3:427Ida Lupino5:261975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 32:26
A1Solo0:56A2Duet4:35A3Play Blue3:23A4Clarinet0:52A5Yeah, Guitar3:48A6Carol1:43A7Trio1:44B1Goodbye3:34B2Laurent2:04B3Quit Song9:471978 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 34:10
A1Blues in the Closet5:10A2The Sad Time3:10A3Spanish Flames8:50B1Enter, Ivory11:10B2From Then to Then5:501984 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 39:35
A1Little Bells4:59A2Landscape3:45A3Speed3:10A4Recollection2:48A5Joined4:46B1Sonor6:24B2Waltz3:34B3Set3:49B4Darkness5:00B5Tight Rope1:201985 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 41:03
A1Tango Palace3:40A2C.G.3:09A3Woogie2:22A4A.G.B.4:08A5But Beautiful6:20B1Return Love5:31B2Bound2:38B3Zebra Walk2:55B4Please4:50B5Explain5:301985 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 51:41
A1If I Should Lose You7:16A2You Go to My Head7:02A3How Deep Is the Ocean5:19A4Pent-Up House3:57B1Everytime We Say Goodbye7:54B2Diane5:33B3Skidadidlin’4:16B4Little Girl Blue10:241986 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 54:09
1Memories7:262Monica Jane7:093Line Down7:184Seven5:445Closer5:096Once Around the Park6:407Hand Dance2:558For the Love of Sarah5:469Nothing Ever Was, Anyway6:021987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 45:52
A1Around Again5:41A2Calls6:15A3King Korn6:05A4Ida Lupino (alternate take)5:23B1Ida Lupino5:04B2Syndrome6:36B3Turns6:36B4Ictus4:121988 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 55:54
1Notes4:202Batterie4:413Piano Solo No. 15:244West 107th Street5:005Just Us4:296No. 34:107Turns4:458Ballade2:359Excerpt2:4810Love Hurts4:5511Inside5:2012Finale3:1713Diane4:101989 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 49:32
1Forth6:312Conversations2:153Blueness6:164Intentions4:225Lucky4:396Boogie2:497Apology4:448Love Hurts4:229Strolling3:5710Six Eight9:371991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:01:37
1Agan Anew6:332Pleiades Skirt2:123Octavon2:124Latin Genetics5:045Workinoot4:376Afternoon of a Dawn5:347Hand In Hand4:458Satyr Satire2:399Lullabye3:3210Twitter Pat1:3611Who's Who Is It?11:3812Gently, gently2:1113Majestique3:0714Pot Luck2:4815No Pun Intended3:091991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:09:16
1Blues for Red8:082Rear Projection7:203Into the Night5:244Above Board5:505Delirious Boogie6:066Underground6:437Up Hill4:148Latin Thing5:249Downtown6:2410Late Night Blue2:3011Baby Narrows4:0812Capri - Cious2:5513Solo Mio3:2014Exit0:501991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 52:47
1Beginning4:422Long Ago and Far Away3:533Close3:094Don't Blame Me6:005Clime4:136Yesterdays5:567Current4:228Lover Man5:139Soulful5:0110The More I See You5:1311Ending V°5:051991 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:08:23
1Ida Lupino9:152Isn't It Romantic?6:053Laura's Dream7:024Carla5:185Olhos de Gato9:246Alcazar3:367Rightly So3:358Nothing to Declare3:199You Don't Know What Love Is8:5110Eidertown5:3311Turn Out the Stars6:251992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:06:58
1Vashkar6:082Floater4:423Seven6:464Around Again7:065Ida Lupino7:316Turns4:567And Now the Queen6:258Ictus7:309Olhos de gato7:4610Donkey8:081992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 35:19
1Pyramid4:022Out There10:433Talk to Me2:404Tavia4:285Longer Than You Know4:116Play Blue9:151992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 31:51
1Japan Suite I19:252Japan Suite II12:261992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:04:51
1Touching [take 1]5:522El Cordobes8:313Cartoon6:264Albert's Love Theme3:465Kid Dynamite4:266Miracles6:477Blood [take 1]5:038Annette6:269Both4:2610Blood [take 2]2:4611Mister Joy8:3712Touching [take 2]1:451993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 56:49
1Seven5:212Closer6:403Olhos de Gato6:304And Now the Queen5:155Vahskar5:376Around Again3:447Donkey6:528King Korn3:549Ictus1:5310Turns5:0811Overtoned5:551993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:03:14
1Trying Hard to Be12:432A Star Trying4:343Too Hard to Be a Star8:224I Must Try4:005Not to Be3:106A Star6:187Try Hard Not To8:458Be a Star4:529Trying to Be2:1410A Human Being3:5811Trying Hard to Be Human4:181993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 58:07
1Romance In The Big City5:412Don't Lose Her4:453Jealous Passion4:124Someone For You6:035Tormented Rose3:146It Happens5:277Tender Your Eyes6:068Talk To Me, Baby2:459Junko's Dream4:1510Bring Me Your Heart2:3911Your Wife As Yourself7:1512Lovely1:1113Nuts4:341993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 56:11
1Afterthoughts4:052Portrait of a Silence5:583Soft Touch3:424Speak Easy2:475Interface5:226Alignment3:507Fair Share6:038Article Four8:289Married Alive4:1710Spe-Cu-Lay-Ting1:2611Tomorrow Today2:1912Note Police7:541993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 52:18
1Remenbering8:462Points5:333Ram Dance8:504Three Fifth12:355Hands On6:486If4:487Cowhand4:581994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 47:22
1Gentle Man2:512Poetic License3:403Augumented Ego2:274Atir4:265Polygons6:356Shock Treatment1:517Cold Fusion3:568Fuzzy Logic1:199Still Life3:0910Sidekicks2:1811Major Attitude5:0812Speed Trap2:1513Out of Control4:1714Real Magic3:101994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 30:07
AAxis16:00B1Porgy3:35B2Music Matador4:45B3El Cordobes - Please Don't Ever Leave Me5:471994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 54:18
1Never Again6:552Contrary4:183Turnham Bay7:124Sweet Time7:095Lost Love6:056Turquoise7:287Pointillist3:438Started4:339As Beautiful as the Moon5:1510Finale1:401995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:07:12
1Poetic Justice17:222Time Will Tell4:253Above the Tree Line4:504You Will, Oscar, You Will4:585Sprung5:226No Questions5:307Vine Laces4:058Clawback3:169Marsh Tides5:4410Instance4:2611Burlesque7:141996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 54:46
1Reality Check4:442For George8:143It Isn't8:224Above You7:595I Surrender Dear7:256Do Something11:117Swan Song6:511996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 51:03
1Something About Water2:502Stream4:113The Surface Of It5:124Thought About Spring4:115Shadow6:436Light2:067Thawings6:258Strings7:499Waiting5:4710Yad Nus2:4411Lake3:051997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:00:15
1I'll Remember April6:032Lover Man11:033Sweet and Lovely9:124I Can't Get Started11:235Out of Nowhere7:416Don't Blame Me8:237I Want to Be Happy6:301997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:16:52
1Random Mist3:152Sunrise Sunlight6:503How Long6:254E.D.T.5:285Back Lash4:516Duality7:337Juniper Blue5:098Meltdown6:299Heyday4:3910Touching Bass4:4611Flashpoint5:2312Mindset7:3713Where Can UB6:4714Circle With the Hole in the Middle1:401998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:02:34
1Not Zero: In Three Parts9:362Entelechy2:063Now4:364Fig Foot5:435Vocal Tracked5:226Intente5:437Noosphere7:068Set Up Set6:189Dialogue Amour8:0910Don’t You Know6:5711Not Zero: In One Part0:581998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 1:00:49
1Turnaround12:062Lorraine10:033Crossroads5:514When Will the Blues Leave6:435Compassion9:346Rejoicing10:387Aarp5:541998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:04:16
1Laura8:512All the Things You Are11:093As Time Goes By6:314I Got Rhythm8:115Someday My Prince Will Come9:226What Is This Thing Called Love8:477It Might as Well Be Spring7:218Married Alive4:041998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 59:19
1Chaos4:532Touching Bass3:473Modulating4:374Soft Touch5:585Poetic Justice6:366Interpercussion 11:517Touch Control3:228Turnham Bey4:589Street Wise6:0710Bow Out4:2011Starting Over5:1612Interpercussion 23:3413Template4:002001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:01:43
1Agan Anew6:322Pleiades Skirt2:133Octavon2:144Latin Genetics5:075Workinoot4:376Afternoon of a Dawn5:347Hand In Hand4:458Satyr Satire2:419Lull-A-Bye3:3110Twitter Pat1:3611Who's Who Is It?11:3812Gently, Gently2:1113Majestique3:0714Pot Luck2:4815No Pun Intended3:092001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:00:11
1Love Lost4:422Basics2:293Speed Kills2:044Told You So9:155Lucky8:196Chet7:517Walk Home7:358Blues Waltz6:189Monk's Mood4:4610Early Albin2:5111Startled4:012002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 52:11
1Blues6:412Italian Song3:173Latin Delay9:104Contrast6:155Ojos de Gato8:376Human Touch4:097Delays3:318Fig Foot5:119Blue Black5:202002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 40:57
1Nothing But A Dream6:052The Fantasy3:363As A Dream6:554Great Memories8:205And The End Of The Dream16:012003 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 47:10
1Variations on Yggdrasil by Jimmy Giuffre2:072Carla3:123Divided Man8:454Mood3:215In the North4:316Motion2:587Face One3:108Face Two3:039The Train & The River3:4110Voodoo3:3211Glaswerk3:2812Motif4:3713Gotta Dance0:452004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 57:16
1Nothing to Declare18:392Breakdown15:473Blues Waltz14:1548th Avenue8:352005 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 33:38
1Blues4:262Getting Started4:263When Will the Blues Leave3:554Long Ago and Far Away4:185Moor3:296Gary4:427Big Foot3:288Albert's Love Theme4:542006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 17 tracks · 54:56
1Cadence en Forme d'une Baleinee1:302Gestures2:183Graphis2:464Plata/Quartet in Three Movements7:225Contemplating Coolness1:506Explain3:197Three-part Contemplation4:148Solitude en Forme d'une Baleine1:209Hypothetic-Mythologic Whale Conversation3:2810Off Hand1:2811ko-Udo-Suduko3:0712Discours en Forme D'un Petit Violon2:3013Foreplay4:3914If It Sounds Good, Don't Stop2:4415Anthem of the Land of Whales7:0116Broke On China2:1217This Is jazz3:082007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 37:16
1Tears6:342Ostinato3:403Music Matador5:104Walkman4:035Flame3:506Hardly1:527Head Over Heels5:208Solo Rose3:439For Roy E.3:042007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 55:35
1Mondsee Variations: I6:392Mondsee Variations: II5:043Mondsee Variations: III2:064Mondsee Variations: VI8:455Mondsee Variations: V3:116Mondsee Variations: VI3:437Mondsee Variations: VII8:128Mondsee Variations: VIII7:399Mondsee Variations: IX4:3810Mondsee Variations: X5:382008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 43:53
1About Time33:282Pent-Up House10:252008 · studio album
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Tracklist · 18 tracks · 59:11
1Solo 13:142Trio 13:373Solo 23:344Trio 22:225Solo 33:276Trio 33:047Duo 11:598Duo 21:589Duo 32:1710Solo 44:2711Trio 42:5912Solo 53:4713Trio 54:5714Solo 64:5715Trio 64:2816Solo 72:3717Trio 72:2018Solo 83:072015 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 52:47
1Beginning4:422Long Ago and Far Away3:533Close3:094Don't Blame Me6:005Clime4:136Yesterdays5:567Current4:228Lover Man5:139Soulful5:0110The More I See You5:1311Ending V°5:05— · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 37:19
1Ojos De Gato4:342Ballade5:553And Now The Queen3:054Glad5:105Lovers5:356Dreams6:007Explanations7:00
Album · 11
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Blood: In HaarlemSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 42:37ABlood18:44 BMister Joy23:53 | Live | 1967 | |
| 1972 | Dual UnitySearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracks · 33:21A1M.J.17:16 B1Gargantuan Encounter4:40 B2Richter Scale8:10 B3Dual Unity3:15 | Live | 1972 | |
| 1994 | At Copenhagen Jazz HouseSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 43:041Woogie16:37 2Check8:26 3Decade5:55 4Furioso4:13 5Bye7:53 | Live | 1994 | |
| 1997 | Keith Jarrett & Paul BleySearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 1:07:001Take Me Back9:33 2Nomads17:24 3The Magician in You6:56 4Sundance4:30 5Expectations4:28 6There Is a Road (God’s River)5:34 7I Can’t Get Started3:42 8The Theme3:45 9Spontaneous Combustion4:20 10Zootcase2:37 11Opus 14:11 | Compilation | 1997 | |
| 1999 | EchoSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks · 1:00:541Offhand4:19 2Noteworthy3:23 3Highstrung3:00 4Misspoke2:53 5Construct2:32 6Symmetry5:50 7Light2:16 8Primitivo2:05 9Osmosis4:23 10Indolence4:40 11Spirits3:29 12Desolet5:30 13Makeover0:41 14Exposures2:42 15Background6:22 16Snaps6:49 | Live | 10 June 1999 | |
| 2000 | Sankt Gerold VariationsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 12 tracks · 1:07:091Variation 110:18 2Variation 27:16 3Variation 33:00 4Variation 42:02 5Variation 56:20 6Variation 63:56 7Variation 77:13 8Variation 88:19 9Variation 97:03 10Variation 105:25 11Variation 114:49 12Variation 121:28 | Live | 2000 | |
| 2004 | CirclesSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 1:17:571The Archangel6:46 2Nothing Ever Was, Anyway6:46 3Gary4:28 4Snakes6:49 5Parks6:07 6Circles4:30 7El Cordobes4:33 8Capricorn5:31 9King Korn4:55 10Dreams6:17 11Syndrome7:55 12Gesture Without Plot9:15 13Ictus4:05 | Compilation | 2004 | |
| 2014 | Play Blue: Oslo ConcertSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 5 tracks · 56:301Far North17:00 2Way Down South Suite15:21 3Flame7:47 4Longer10:16 5Pent-Up House6:06 | Live | 28 March 2014 | |
| 2016 | The Complete Remastered Recordings on Black Saint & Soul NoteSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | Compilation | 2016 | |
| 2016 | Four Classic AlbumsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 36 tracks · 2:26:55Disc 1 1Opus 14:15 2Teapot4:34 3Like Someone in Love4:09 4Spontaneous Combustion4:21 5Split Kick3:10 6Can’t Get Started3:43 7Topsy2:48 8My Heart2:45 9That Old Feeling2:44 10There’ll Never Be Another You5:53 11Autumn Breeze3:15 12I Want to Be Happy2:24 13My Old Flame3:33 14Time on My Hands3:36 15Drum One2:27 16This Can’t Be Love3:15 17My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do)6:49 1852nd Street Theme2:50 Disc 21Birk’s Work6:06 2O Plus One3:19 3Porgy3:42 4Solemn Meditation3:36 5I Remember Harlem3:44 6Drum Two3:08 7Everywhere4:06 8Beau Didley5:36 9Persian Village3:31 10Scootin’ About3:42 11Jesus Maria6:24 12Emphasis4:21 13In the Mornings Out There7:04 14Cry, Want5:15 15Trudgin’4:11 16Used to Be4:07 17Brief Hesitation4:25 18Venture4:07 | Compilation | 6 May 2016 | |
| 2019 | When Will the Blues LeaveSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 8 tracks · 56:111Mazatlan11:35 2Flame5:37 3Told You So9:49 4Moor7:14 5Longer5:33 6Dialogue Amour6:01 7When Will the Blues Leave5:26 8I Loves You, Porgy4:56 | Live | 31 May 2019 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Paul Bley head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 25 | 86.6th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 69 | 96.2th |
| Studio albums | 58 | 99.5th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 60 | 99.2th |
| Recording span (years) | 61 | 98.1th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Member of the Order of Canada | won |
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Paul Bley Synthesizer Show(band) | — | present | |
| Paul Bley Trio(band) | — | present | eponymous |
| Ornette Coleman Quintet(band) | — | present | piano |
| The Jimmy Giuffre 3(band) | 1960 | 1962 |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Bley%2C_1968.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5ff0b393-1706-47ce-8bda-a0fd3fe9b98adiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/5ff0b393-1706-47ce-8bda-a0fd3fe9b98acore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q709810genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q709810seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bleybiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bley
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Canadian musicians
Tier rule: notable long tail (listeners 0, 25 language versions)
Image: Unknown photographer · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q709810 · MusicBrainz: 5ff0b393-1706-47ce-8bda-a0fd3fe9b98a
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