Markie Goes Clubbing: Carla Bley and the Lost Chords, Jazz Alley, 9/20/05

Last week Scott and I and Barb and Fred saw Carla Bley at Jazz Alley. I'd seen her twice, which is apparently the only two times she's come to Seattle to play (one time in duo with Steve Swallow--about the time they released their first duet record--and once conducting a big band headed up by Jim Knapp (then head of the jass program at Cornish) playing her music. This time she brought a quartet, and it was amazing to hear what a telepathic degree of interplay they developed, even if Billy Drummond drowned things out once in awhile. Later I discover Carla and Steve have been playing with the horn player Andy Shepard for years and the trio actually recorded an album last year called The Lost Chords. Carla's written so many amazing pieces you can pick out any six or seven and have a great, varied, funny, touching set. in her playing (very compositional, subtly directive--this band's got each others' moves down col) and in several of the compositions she seemed to be exploring theme-and-variations (e.g., of "The Star Spangled Banner"--or "Three Blind Mice") pretty deeply. Funny, that's what Beethoven did too.