
Carla Bley | Artist
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Carla Bley is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader born 1936 in Oakland, California. Bley was an important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s and has continued to perform and produce excellent albums to the present day, as soloist and ensemble leader. She is perhaps best known for her jazz opera opus Escalator over the Hill. In 1964 she was involved in organising the Jazz Composers Guild which brought together the most innovative musicians in New York at the time and released the critically acclaimed experimental big-band album The Jazz Composer's Orchestra. Bley has collaborated with countless artists from the Jazz and Rock worlds, such as Charlie Haden, Gary Burton, Don Cherry, Nick Mason, Jack Bruce and Robert Wyatt. Most recently she works with her partner, bassist Steve Swallow. Outstanding albums include Escalator Over the Hill, 13 & 3/4, European Tour 1977, Musique Mécanique, 4x4, and the live album Goes to Church.
Artist Website: wattxtrawatt.com
Featured Albums: Carla Bley
Related Artists: Steve Swallow, The Jazz Composer's Orchestra, Gary Burton