Search - Carla Bley, Steve Swallow :: Are We There Yet

This is thoughtful music making from two talented composers, playing together on a European concert tour without the distractions of horns and drums and developing a rare intimacy in the process. Carla Bley plays piano with a Monkish deliberateness, a depth of attention to structure that leaves nothing out, and she's finding new dimensions in some of her strongest material. "King Korn" first appeared on a Paul Bley record in 1962 (with Swallow playing bass), but Carla's playing here emphasizes its potential for swing. She once orchestrated Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars" as a feature for altoist Phil Woods, but it becomes a much more personal statement here, as does "Musique Mecanique," a witty suite that sometimes mocks mechanical repetition, which was first recorded by her big band in the 1970s. Swallow's "A Dog's Life" is a blues played with such purity it invokes Jelly Roll Morton, and "Playing with Water" is a memorable original ballad. Swallow's electric bass playing is always remarkable. He's long been able to match the grain and nuance of an acoustic, but here he's opted for an instrument that also moves easily into the guitar range. He actually sounds like a guitar--playing melodies and solos with a flow and clarity that can suggest Jim Hall. This is warm, reflective music, etched with rare wit and lyricism. --Stuart Broomer