Jazz Articles about Carla Bley

About Carla Bley

Radio & Podcasts

A Few of My Favorite 2026 Jazz Things (so far) - Part 6

by Ludovico Granvassu
July 12, 2026

These past two weeks have been an opportunity to leaf back through six months of listening and rediscover the tracks that turned out to have the longest shelf life--music that still feels as fresh and compelling now as when we first heard it. Here's the last installment. We'll get back to this in six months! Stay tuned.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 André Fernandes “Dragon'S Blood Red" Centauri ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Releases From Carla Bley, Mike Lorenz, Pedro Molina & More

by Bob Osborne
June 4, 2026

This selection explores the vast spectrum of jazz, journeying from the archival brilliance of Carla Bley's 1984 Hamburg performance to the contemporary avant-garde dialogues of Satoko Fujii and Myra Melford. The tracklist balances intricate ensemble work, such as the Greenhouse Ensemble's modern textures, with the raw, improvisational energy of Joe McPhee and Miles Davis's experimental fusion. Spanning self-released gems and established labels like Sunnyside and RogueArt, the collection offers a sophisticated narrative of creative evolution, where technical mastery meets deep ...

Radio & Podcasts

Dawn Clement, Chris McNulty, Stella Heath, Elina Duni, John Clayton With Rene Marie & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
May 25, 2026

This broadcast includes new music from Dawn Clement, Chris McNulty, Stella Heath, Elina Duni and John Clayton featuring Rene Marie, with birthday shoutouts to Carla Bley, Betty Carter, Stevie Wonder, Virginia Mayhew, Jennifer Wharton, Audrey Silver, Deidre Rodman Stuck, Karin Krog, Nadje Noordhuis, Sarah Hanahan, Veronica Swift, Brittany Anjou and Grace Kelly among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear--see them live, buy their music so they can continue to comfort, distract, provoke and remind the world ...

Album Review

Carla Bley: Joyful Noise – Live In Hamburg 1984

Read "Joyful Noise – Live In Hamburg 1984" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
May 3, 2026

For a brief human moment, let us imagine that pianist/composer/maestro Carla Bley was cast as a villainess on the low-camp-crazy 60's Batman TV show. Yes, that one. The one with Adam West running around in tights. Who would Bley be? Perhaps, with her humorous inquests into any musical form that might threaten Gotham, she would be dubbed The Dabbler. Yes, The Dabbler! Or maybe, The Dancer! The woman in the opulent headpiece who always took the lead. For ...

Radio & Podcasts

Celebrate Mothers Day with new releases by Ellie Martin, Lucia, Jamie Shew and the Premazzi/Nasser Quartet, plus birthday shoutouts to Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley, Tania Maria & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
May 19, 2025

This broadcast celebrates Mothers Day with new releases from Ellie Martin, Lucia, Jamie Shew and the Premazzi/Nasser Quartet, with birthday shoutouts to Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley, Tania Maria, Gunhild Carling, Jill McCarron, Andrea Superstein, honorable men John Proulx and Lincoln Briney, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear -see them live, buy their music so they can continue to comfort, distract, provoke and remind the world that A Woman's Place is in the Groove. Many ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Music of Carla Bley: Late Carla, Part 4

by Larry Slater
April 25, 2025

Carla Bley's career spanned 60 years and included big band, small group, and a few duet recordings with her long time partner Steve Swallow. The music ranged from raucous free jazz to meditative chamber music. Her distinctive music never had a large following, which was just fine with her. In 2018 Carla was diagnosed with brain cancer, which took her life in October of 2023. In this final hour of the music of Carla Bley, you'll hear her late recordings: ...

Radio & Podcasts

Interpreting the music of Carla Bley, Part 3

by Larry Slater
April 18, 2025

Carla Bley always considered herself a primarily a composer She said “I would rather write music than perform it. I'm not an improviser, basically, because I'm not quick enough. I'm a composer because I'm so slow... my writing is just like playing very slowly and my playing is like writing..."Carla's legacy, like all composers, rests with her compositions. In this hour you'll hear some of Carla Bley's tunes performed by her contemporaries, including Mary Halvorson, Steve Kuhn, Steve ...