I’ve long enjoyed Bley’s reflective, intelligently turned compositions and watch-out-for-the-wild-card arrangements. While the former qualities are in evidence here, the arrangements – and playing – are sometimes disappointingly bland, predictable to the point of supper-club smoothness. The opening Blues mixes tempi and dynamics nicely; there’s a welcome touch of Monkish astringency in Royalties and Doctor, and the Evans-ish lyricism of Douce rewards attention.
Elsewhere, however, both the pianism and near-piccolo bass lines are too even-handed for my taste, the Latin ambiance – which dominates Swallow’s three-part Masquerade – a touch too suavely sustained. I’d have willingly swopped the 24 inner sleeve try-outs for publicity photos – ostensibly documenting how bad poor Carla and Steve are at that sort of thing – for 24 seconds of the sort of swinging, gutsy exuberance which used to get Oscar Peterson a bad name among some critics.
Discography
Sing Me Softly Of The Blues; Mother Of The Dead Man; Masquerade In Three Parts: Carnation / Dark Glasses / Mustache; Ad Infinitum; Copyright
Royalties; Peau Douce; Doctor; Fleur Carnivore (52.53)
Carla Bley (p); Steve Swallow (elb). Willow, New York, summer 1992
(Watt 24)
