Exposition

The improvisational style of Paul Bley (2022)

Lorenzo Ditta
open exposition

About this exposition

Paul Bley is a key figure in the history of jazz piano and free improvisation in general, and he still exerts a profound influence on many contemporary artists from Keith Jarrett to Aaron Parks. This work tracks the development of his unique style, trying to answer the following question: how did Bley manage to maintain coherence and integrity in his solos, and what was the relationship between his improvisations and the underlying harmonies? The project draws on several sources: Bley's autobiography, interviews with artists, influenced by Bley, who have also tried to understand the secret of his improvisational style; his recordings, from his debut album to his masterpieces. Moreover, some of his classical solos are analyzed and transcribed in full. The study has shown how to explore the creative potential of collective improvisation and free improvisation, beyond the more traditional musical jazz forms, and alternative ways in which an ensemble can obtain an original sound, with instruments that play roles that are not typical for them. This research does not claim to be a comprehensive treatise on an innovative figure like Paul Bley, but an analysis of his work aimed at drawing lessons useful to develop skills in arrangement and improvisation.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsCreative Practice
date07/02/2019
published11/07/2022
last modified11/07/2022
statuslimited publication
share statusprivate
copyrightLorenzo Ditta
licenseAll rights reserved
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/564338/564339
published inKC Research Portal
portal issue3. Internal publication


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798975 Sample 1 ESP-Disk All rights reserved
798979 Sample 2 SteepleChase Records All rights reserved
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798993 Sample 3 SteepleChase Records All rights reserved
798994 Sample 4 Savoy Records All rights reserved
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804713 Ida Lupino G - text edit_0001 Lorenzo Ditta All rights reserved
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