Back in the olden days hugely respected American jazz stars
used to come to Newcastle. Having found the attached a month or so ago and
filed it somewhere safe, it has taken me all morning to find it again. It dates
(I think) from 1996 and marked one of two concerts by big bands (actually that
should be BIG BANDS) led by American legends, the other being George Russell,
that came to play. Carla’s tour was promoting the Carla Bley Big Band Goes To Church album which is a fine work and
featured most of the musicians that she brought to the Playhouse.
Obviously, we’re playing some Carla at the moment in
response to the news of her passing. She was a great pianist but an absolute giant
in composing for modern jazz big bands. And that haircut, once seen, never
forgotten.
RIP Carla. Dave Sayer
4 comments :
Dave, I was at the concert, 1997 if memory serves. Some years earlier - or was it later? - Bley appeared at Newcastle City Hall as a member of the Jack Bruce Band.
I worked in Glasgow for a few months in 1992. While there I went to a couple of Glasgow Jazz Festival events. One was the trio with Carla, Steve Swallow & Andy Sheppard. Beautiful playing
and I often think back to that concert. It was one of those you never forget. Incidentally the other concert was Irakere who were great too.
I missed the Newcastle gig! Only saw her the once, with the trio (Swallow and Sheppard) in Istanbul. Must have been 1994/5
Jude
I was also at that concert (well, at least half of it). I was driving back from London and arrived about 9pm which turned out to be the interval at the Playhouse. As was the thing in those days there was no one at the booking office or on the doors so I wandered into the hall with the crowds returning from the bar and found an empty seat.
The music was great but my abiding memory was that there were two women with the same amazing hairstyle. The second one obviously Carla Bley's daughter who was playing the piano. She is listed amongst the band members above as Karen Mantler.
Escalator Over The Hill was a big thing for me and my jazz buddies when it came out and we spent rather too long analysing its lyrical intricacies. A few years later in the mid 70s, some of my friends went to New York for the summer and went to every jazz gig going. Somehow they were invited (or invited themselves) to Carla Bley's house and it turned out she was happy to chat to them. Amazingly she also gave them a copy of a ten page document which was supposed to be the outline for 'Escalator'.
When I looked at it I was no wiser but I think I understood she was more interested in the musical ideas rather than the plot.
JC
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