Carla Bley

American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader

Genre-bending jazz pianist and composer, known for her avant-garde work, whose writing style is unique and highly regarded.

Born	May 11, 1936
Hometown	Oakland, California, United States

Spouse	Steve Swallow , Michael Mantler , Paul Bley
Children	Karen Mantler

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Credit: Getty Images, Rotten Tomatoes, Gracenote Media Services

Carla Bley, who has died aged 87, was one of the great figures of modern jazz, a pianist, composer and bandleader who explored the further reaches of free jazz as well as the mainstream, including excursions into rock music; while she also assembled small groups, it was her work with bigger outfits that set her apart.

The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith

1h 27min

2015

EntertainmentThe Telegraph
Musical mastery of a rare order from the Carla Bley Trio at Kings Place, plus the best jazz and folk gigs of 2019
Carla Bley Trio, Kings Place, London N1 ★★★☆☆ There was a time when Carla Bley used to think big. This pensive but at times wildly eccentric composer-pianist for a while fronted her own big band, and in the late Sixties assembled the cream of jazz and rock talent to record her own two-hour jazz opera. She made quirky humour and huge ambition seem like natural bedfellows. These days, Bley prefers to think small, though in truth her particular talent has always revealed itself in small things – a

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Charlie Haden,Veteran Jazz Bassist, Dead at 77
One of the most influential bass players of his generation, Haden played with Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Keith Jarrett, Carla Bley, Dewey Redman and many others.

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