Verve Paul Motian

ECM salutes the late, great drummer with an Old & New Masters Edition box of six of his early albums on the label. The recordings from 1972 to 1984 are Conception Vessel, Tribute, Dance, Le Voyage, Psalm and It Should've Happened A Long Time Ago. Paul Motian's innovative drumming with the great trios of Bill Evans and Paul Bley had already assured him of a place in jazz's history books, but Motian had not considered life as a bandleader until ECM proposed a recording session under his own name. Conception Vessel opened floodgates of creativity. Through these recordings we hear not only the evolution of several outstanding Motian ensembles and the birth of the enduring Motian/Frisell/Lovano trio, but also the growth of confidence of a unique jazz composer. In Paul's music, memories of Turkish and Armenian melodies he had heard as a child were filtered through a love of jazz. Early in his career, Paul had played with Thelonious Monk, and Monk's wayward sense of dynamics remained a reference for him, but he also loved the free expressive possibilities of the new jazz. Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden, regular partners in Keith's trio and quartet, encouraged Paul's creative flight on, respectively, Conception Vessel and Tribute. With Dance and Le Voyage, the trios with Charles Brackeen recorded 1977 and 1979, Motian shaped a soundworld entirely his own, and a blueprint for the future. This box set includes extensive liner notes by pianist Ethan Iverson and rare historical photos of the musicians. Review 'A discreetly handsome edition of the kind this label does so well, in tribute to the revered percussionist and composer...It reveals the growing boldness of his ideas and the increasing subtlety of his playing over the course of the years 1972-1984.' -- The Observer, (Dave Gelly)* * * * 'It's not just a Motian homage, but a trip from an early-70s jazz influenced by free-playing, folk and protest music, to later sounds, opened up by technology and genre crossovers, that paved the paths to the present.' -- The Guardian * * * * 'It's a cliché to suggest that you should buy this for the booklet, but it would be difficult to say anything here that isn't said better in the 4,000-plus words of Ethan Iverson's accompanying essay...a master musician and a compelling conceptualist.' -- Jazzwise * * * * 'A splendid new 6-CD box simply titled Paul Motian chronicles his solo oeuvre from 1972-84.' -- Record Collector * * * * 'ECM have really done drummer, composer and bandleader Paul Motian proud with this 6CD box set in their Old and New Masters Edition...Informed and helpful notes by pianist Ethan Iverson are the icing on the cake.' --The Northern Echo, (Peter Bevan)