Carla Bley *1936 +2023

[Old Grumpy]

This is the sound that I think of on hearing about Carla Bley. Her band was often on JRR on Saturdays in olden times when I was a fan.I loved this number and this gospel sound.

Gary Valente trombone with Carla Bley Hallelujah the Lord is listening to yah! - YouTube

Great Post.

Love the comments on YT...

...seems it was a hit on Radio 4!

[Jazzrook]

Richard Williams on Carla Bley:

https://thebluemoment.com

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Did she write any film music or was any used? Shame if not as it seems ideal.

[Serial_Apologist]

Did she write any film music or was any used? Shame if not as it seems ideal.

A quick check with Wicked Pediatrician summaries reveals three:

American Playhouse (1982) - US TV series

Deadly Circuit (1983) - French film

Breakfast with Curtis (2012) - US movie

There may be others (too lazy to check) but that at least answers your question!

[Serial_Apologist]

One of my girlfriends just happened to be a splitting image of Carla - I never told her (Viv) since she didn't actually like her music!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Carla was pretty distinctive! My ex wife is the image of Stacey Kent, I have been buying her a load of Stacey's back catalogue, particularly the French stuff, which she waves at her current husband and plays in the car. He prefers Rod Stewart.

Thanks for the Carla film suggestions - will check out Deadly Circuit.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Deadly Circuit" trailer. It's about a woman serial killer who seduces men and kills them all across Europe! Now a cult classic in France.

Carla's distinctive music apparent.

http://youtu.be/ofP3VEghlls?feature=shared

[Serial_Apologist]

"Deadly Circuit" trailer. It's about a woman serial killer who seduces men and kills them all across Europe! Now a cult classic in France.

Carla's distinctive music apparent.

http://youtu.be/ofP3VEghlls?feature=shared

Brilliant! Thanks.

There were also two albums on the WATT label titled "Movies" and "More Movies", from 1977 and 1980 respectively, co-composed with Michael Mantler, who trumpets in a distinctively pleasing Cherryesque way as well as writing. Larry Coryell adds incisive guitar on the first of those, which I have, and Tony Williams is absolutely extraordinary. A leading Bristolian musician offered me £20 for it just on the strengths of the drumming, which he described to me as the best anywhere - and he himself is a pretty good drummer with a notable pedigree! These aren't apparently actual movie music, more, like Schoenberg's "Accompaniment to a Film Scene" 3-movement orchestral work from 1930, namely what movie music should or could be, and in much of the movie thriller genre actually is. There's a story about the Schoenberg work, incidentally. Young American composers who flocked to join his composition course, clamouring to learn how to produce his "effects", were disappointed to find themselves expected to study the classics and write music exercises in the styles of Bach and Mozart!

[RichardB]

I hadn't heard any of CB's music for ages and I couldn't remember ever hearing Escalator Over the Hill so I gave that a spin yesterday. I've heard many superlatives applied to this album by people whose opinions I respect, and there are some fantastic instrumental contributions, but at halfway through I began to find the relentless eclecticism a bit of a problem and didn't go any further. I wasn't getting any feeling of continuity through all the changes in musical style, perspective, recording technique and pretty much everything else. I would really like to find a way into it though. Where am I going wrong?

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

It never did much for me either and from the sound of this it could have been even more "eclectic" if the money has been there.

"Despite Sherry’s largesse, money remained a problem during the three-year period the album was recorded in, with no record label to underwrite the huge cost. A friend of Carla’s helped her secure a crucial $30,000 bank loan, and Haines wrote numerous letters to famous leftfield artists (usually to no avail) in order to fund the project. The suspicion remains that if they’d raised more money, perhaps today we’d be discussing a quadruple or quintuple album instead of a triple. (As it was, the project nearly finished Bley and drove her $90,000 into debt.)

But its dimensions are jaw-dropping enough. Escalator Over The Hill was eventually created in three continents by a cast of more than 50 people and took almost five years to finish"

[Joseph K]

I hadn't heard any of CB's music for ages and I couldn't remember ever hearing Escalator Over the Hill so I gave that a spin yesterday. I've heard many superlatives applied to this album by people whose opinions I respect, and there are some fantastic instrumental contributions, but at halfway through I began to find the relentless eclecticism a bit of a problem and didn't go any further. I wasn't getting any feeling of continuity through all the changes in musical style, perspective, recording technique and pretty much everything else. I would really like to find a way into it though. Where am I going wrong?

It's something I've only ever listened to in bits and pieces, come to think of it...

[Tenor Freak]

I have just realised that not only did I receive a copy of Escalator but I also have a copy of Tropic Apetites too. Time to put the latter platter on.

Note: both are UK releases on Virgin of all things. <thanks> Beardie

And I have just clocked that the cover of Tropic is has a credit for "Unidentified Cat" on tenor sax. Of course that "cat" is none other than Gato Barbieri (geddit?) who does get a name-check on the album nowadays.

[Serial_Apologist]

I have just realised that not only did I receive a copy of Escalator but I also have a copy of Tropic Apetites too. Time to put the latter platter on.

Note: both are UK releases on Virgin of all things. <thanks> Beardie

And I have just clocked that the cover of Tropic is has a credit for "Unidentified Cat" on tenor sax. Of course that "cat" is none other than Gato Barbieri (geddit?) who does get a name-check on the album nowadays.

I've never heard Tropic Appetites - must check and see if there's a youtube. From what I remember Julie Tipetts recorded her contribution on tape over here and sent it across the Pond to be incorporated into it.

[Tenor Freak]

I've never heard Tropic Appetites - must check and see if there's a youtube. From what I remember Julie Tipetts recorded her contribution on tape over here and sent it across the Pond to be incorporated into it.

According to the liner notes, Julie Tippetts' contributions were recorded in November '73 at Island Studios, engineered by Frank Owen. The rest was recorded between September '73 and February '74 in New York. Hope that helps.

[Serial_Apologist]

According to the liner notes, Julie Tippetts' contributions were recorded in November '73 at Island Studios, engineered by Frank Owen. The rest was recorded between September '73 and February '74 in New York. Hope that helps.