Paul Bley

The Profile

Paul Bley (1932–2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist central to free and avant‑garde jazz. Across more than six decades he recorded extensively, led key solo piano albums on ECM, and collaborated with figures including Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Jimmy Giuffrè, Sonny Rollins, and Chet Baker.

Recorded over 120 albums across about sixty years. Pioneered electronic keyboards in jazz with Annette Peacock (including Moog and Fender Rhodes). Noted for landmark solo piano recordings such as Open, to Love and Solo in Mondsee, and for collaborations tied to compositions by Carla Bley.

The reviews celebrate Paul Bley as a towering jazz pianist, especially in solo settings. They highlight his spontaneous, risk-taking improvisation, ECM’s superb sonics, and late-period depth (About Time). They also spotlight his electronic explorations with Annette Peacock (Improvisie) and the lyrical austerity of Open, to Love. Across more than sixty years and 120+ albums, Bley’s purity of improv and sound is central.