PAUL BLEY — The Fabulous Paul Bley Quintet (aka Live at the Hillcrest Club) (review)

PAUL BLEY — The Fabulous Paul Bley Quintet (aka Live at the Hillcrest Club) album cover Live album · 1971 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
snobb
The second Paul Bley live album is more interesting than it is great. Recorded in 1958, it has a bootleg quality,surprisingly clear sound, but a terrible one mic mix.

The most intriguing thing with this album is the fact that the music on here is one of the earliest existing Ornette Coleman live recordings! The group on here is nothing else but the classic Coleman Quartet plus pianist Paul Bley (the concert in Hillcrest Club, LA was recorded just a few months after the release of Ornette Coleman studio debut "Something Else!").

Musically this album contains four compositions (including one Charlie Parker's and two from Coleman) and demonstrates Ornette's playing in transition from hard bop to freer forms. Ironically enough, the sound mix is concentrated on the saxophonist's soloing, all the other musicians (including trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Billy Higgins and Paul Bley himself) are deep in the shade. This is supposedly pianist Paul Bley's album, but most of time you can't hear the piano playing at all! Five years later this album was re-released for the US market under the name "Live At The Hillcrest Club 1958" as a collaborative work, without mention of Paul Bley as leader.

Over all, this album is a really interesting release for Ornette Coleman fans and collectors, but it is hardly an essential musical work and adds nothing to Paul Bley's musical legacy.
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