Focus on drummer Paul Motian
In 1955, Jazz drummer Paul Motian moved to New York. In those days, he worked for instance with Lennie Tristano in the Ensemble of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, but also with Sonny Rollings before forming the Bill Evans Trio with Scott LaFaro on bass in 1959.
This trio triggered a change in the way piano trios played; it transferred the role of the rhythm section into an emancipated, unleashed interaction with focus on equality and timbre.
IIn the 1960s, Motian also worked with band leaders like Coleman Hawkins and Charles Lloyd. In 1963, he played for the first time with pianist Paul Bley exploring Free Jazz. In the late 60s, he started to cooperate with Keith Jarrett.
Since the beginning of the 1970s, Motian became increasingly known as a bandleader and composer. In 1980, he started a very productive cooperation with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano, who were both about 20 years younger than he was. In 1992, with two electric guitars, an electric bass guitar and saxophones, he also formed the Electric Bebop Band, which mainly performed their own versions of compositions by Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Miles Davis. Paul Motian died in 2011.
This programme gives some insights into Paul Motian’s musical career and shows how he has transformed his traditional play into a free interpretation of the drums.
We start off with a late recording of guitar player Jakob Bro, one of his EBBB members. Then we return to the beginning; from the recordings with Warne Marsh, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett we can clearly hear how his play changed. Subsequently, the recordings from the 80s give an impression of Motian’s colourful and interactive play, with among others his trio of the EBBB.Playlist:
01. Evening Song – Jakob Bro (Balladeering, 2009, Loveland records)
02. Too Close for Comfort – Warne Marsh (Warne Marsh, 1958, Atlantic records)
03. Israel – Bill Evans Trio (Explorations, 1961, Riverside records)
04. Treasure Island – Keith Jarrett (Treasure Island, 1974, Impulse! records)
05. Mandeville – Paul Motian Band (Psalm, 1982, ECM records)
06. Rootie Tootie – Paul Motian & the Electric Bebop Band (Play Monk and Powell, 1998, Winter & Winter records)
07. Sandino – Charlie Haden, Geri Allen & Paul Motian (Etudes, 1987, Soul Note records)
08. Arabesque – Paul Motian & the E.B.B.B. (Holiday for Strings, 2001, Winter & Winter records)
09. Once Around The Park – Paul Motian, Bill Frisell & Joe Lovano (Sound of Love, 1995, Winter & Winter records)
10. White Magic – Paul Motian Band (Psalm, 1982, ECM records)
11. Tennessee Waltz – Paul Motian (The Windmills of Your Mind, 2011, Winter & Winter records)
12. Roundup – Paul Motian & the E.B.B.B. (Holiday for Strings, 2001, Winter & Winter records)
13. Tico Tico – Paul Motian (On Broadway Volume 3, 1991, JMT records)
14. Bill – Paul Motian Band (Garden of Eden, 2004, ECM records)
