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Paul Motian

Although he studied drums in the Navy School of Music in Washington, there has never been anything militaristic about Paul Motian's prolific work as a jazz drummer. In the mid-1950s, he played with a host of jazz stars including Stan Getz, George Russell and Thelonious Monk, but his major association was with pianist Bill Evans, both in Evans's trio and as a member of other groups, such as the quartet led by clarinettist Tony Scott.

With Bill Evans, he developed a way of playing that mirrored the pianist's phrasing and approach, often abandoning aspects of the drummer's traditional time-keeping role. He went on to prove that he is one of the finest trio drummers in jazz history, working with the free-jazz influenced group of Paul Bley and the more wide-ranging Keith Jarrett Trio. During the decade he played with Jarrett (1967-76), Motian developed a particular rapport with bassist Charlie Haden, in whose own groups he toured and recorded from time to time, from the 1960s to the 1990s.

From the late 1970s, Motian has mainly fronted his own groups, ranging from the excitement of his Electric Bebop Band (which pitted two guitarists against a saxophone player, backed by bass and drums) to more conventional jazz trios and quartets. His long-standing trio with saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist Bill Frisell is particularly noteworthy.

Jazz Interpretations of the music of Jerome Kern

by Larry Slater
January 28, 2025

Jerome Kern was one of the most important composers of the “Great American Songbook," and his tunes have provided rich source material for jazz artists for decades. This is the first hour long installment of a three part series which includes performances by Paul Motian, Grant Green, JD Allen, Abbey Lincoln, Milt Jackson and more. Early Kern compositions include Ol' Man River, Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, Why Do I Love, You, Why Was I Born and The ...

Album Review

Bill Evans: Explorations

Read "Explorations" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
January 20, 2025

It is not easy to review a masterpiece. The celebrated American intellectual historian Perry Miller was once reduced to muttering something like “What am I supposed to say about the damn thing?" The damn thing in question being Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Professor Miller, meet pianist Bill Evans. Trying to say something intelligent about Bill Evans after so much has been written and said in the now nearly fifty years after his death defines a Fool's Errand. So why ...

Album Review

Keith Jarrett: The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn

Read "The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
January 15, 2025

Disco come sempre di gran classe, questo, inciso il 16 settembre 1992 al Deer Head Inn di Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania, con Paul Motian in luogo del “canonico" Jack DeJohnette, ma con immutate le stimmate del già celeberrimo (nonché celebratissimo) standard trio di un Keith Jarrett all'epoca quarantasettenne e nel pieno della sua maturità tecnico-espressiva. Il materiale, che va a integrare quanto già edito ormai quasi trentun anni fa in At the Deer Head Inn (il sottotitolo ...

Album Review

Keith Jarrett: The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn

Read "The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn" reviewed by Mario Calvitti

by Mario Calvitti
November 18, 2024

Già da alcuni anni l'attività pianistica di Keith Jarrett si è forzatamente interrotta per motivi legati alle condizioni di salute dell'artista, colpito da ictus, ma la sua musica continua a venire pubblicata con novità discografiche provenienti dagli archivi ECM, alternando le esecuzioni jazzistiche a quelle classiche con cadenza più o meno annuale. Questo nuovo album rappresenta un'aggiunta importante alla sua discografia, dando dopo 30 anni un seguito all'album At the Deer Head Inn con la pubblicazione di otto brani inediti ...

Album Review

Keith Jarrett: The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn

Read "The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
November 7, 2024

Keith Jarrett remarked as he listened to a tape of the session: “I think that you can hear on this tape, what jazz is all about." What did he mean? Was he reacting to criticisms of his long-form improvisations? Was it because he was in a small venue that prioritized jazz? Of course, you can hear “what jazz is all about." Major musicians accompanied him: bassist Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, a master drummer he had not played with ...

Album Review

Keith Jarrett: The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn

Read "The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
November 1, 2024

Ahhh... the Standards Trio returns to the Poconos, or more specifically, the century and a half old Deer Head Inn, the site of the great At the Deer Head Inn (ECM,1994), and rouses all spirits with The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn.Celebrating a set of circumstances--Keith Jarrett was sixteen when he first played at the Deer Head Inn and at the time of this renowned gig it had been sixteen years since last jamming with ...

Album Review

Bill Evans: The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited

Read "The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 7, 2024

Bill Evans' The Legendary Trio at Birdland 1960 is a seminal recording that captures a fleeting moment of jazz brilliance, immortalizing the profound synergy of Evans with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. Recorded live at the iconic Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, this album is a vivid snapshot of a group at the peak of its creative powers, navigating the complexities of jazz standards and original compositions with unparalleled grace and fluidity. The trio's ...

Recording

Guitarist Carl Michel Celebrates the music of Paul Motian with "Music in Motian" on Play On Records

Source: All About Jazz
June 12, 2018

The music of drummer/composer Paul Motian is revered in certain circles of jazz, while resting in obscurity among others. The performing credits of Motian run deep and are extensive, but as a author of highly original music, he lies in the under-documented category. This will not last much longer as, in the years since his passing, his followers are carrying the torch, one such notable being guitarist Carl Michel. Michel (pronounced Michael) has recognized the contributions of Paul Motian, and ...
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154

Contest

Enter the "Paul Motian - The Windmills of Your Mind" CD Giveaway at All About Jazz!

Source: All About Jazz
December 5, 2011

Obituary

Paul Motian (1931-2011): An Appreciation

Source: Something Else!
November 23, 2011

Drummer Paul Motian, who first came to prominence in the late 1950s with pianist Bill Evans' pioneering trio, has died. A representative from ECM Records confirms he passed at 4:52 a.m. in New York City. A cause of death has not been disclosed. He was 80. After this groundbreaking association with Evans, Motian later collaborated with pianists Paul Bley (1963-64) and Keith Jarrett (1967㭈). An eclectic artist, he also worked with Arlo Guthrie in 1968-69, a stint that included a ...
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143

Radio

Paul Motian Memorial Broadcast on WKCR

Source: AAJ Staff
November 23, 2011

Drummer, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian passed away Tuesday November 22nd at the age of 80. Motian's career took off starting with his work in the influential Bill Evan's trio alongside bassist Scott LaFaro in the late 1950s. Thereafter, he went on to record and perform with artists ranging from Charlie Haden and Lee Konitz to Marilyn Crispell and Bill Frisell, developing a distinctive style along the way, a key contribution in an era in which the drums continued to ...
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452

Obituary

RIP Paul Motian: 1931-2011

Source: John Kelman
November 22, 2011

Drummer Paul Motian passed away, in a New York City hospital, early this morning. The cause was complications of myelodysplastic syndrome, according to Motian's niece, Cindy McGuirl. This is the same rare blood and bone-marrow disorder that took the life of saxophonist Michael Brecker nearly five years ago, in early 2007. Emerging first as a member of pianist Bill Evans' groundbreaking trio in the mid-1950s, Motian went on to become an innovator in his own right, creating a style of ...
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145

Recording

Forgotten Series: Paul Motian - I Have the Room Above Her (2005)

Source: Something Else!
May 11, 2011

By Mark Saleski You wouldn't suppose that most musicians would look favorably upon being compared to an old pile of rocks. How about an old, organized pile of rocks? This isn't some kind of clever reviewer trick. Honestly, it's just a coincidence. While giving Paul Motian's I Have The Room Above Her the first listen, I happened to have a nice view out the bedroom window. Through the maples and oaks beside our antique house, an old rock wall can ...
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209

Recording

Paul Motian Trio - Lost in a Dream (ECM)

Source: Master of a Small House
April 20, 2010

Few partnerships between label and musician remain as felicitous as that shared by Paul Motian and ECM. Described in certain circles as an anti-drummer, a back-handed reduction also ascribed to Shelly Manne back in the day, Motian's language at the kit is commonly the epitome of economy and nuance. Bombast and obviousness are his adversaries. Spaciousness, an overriding melodicism and preference for implication rather than explication as communicated through his stick and brush play can frustrate audiences expecting the momentum ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Motian

Source: Michael Ricci
March 25, 2010

All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Motian's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Paul Motian

Although he studied drums in the Navy School of Music in Washington, there has never been anything militaristic about Paul Motian\'s prolific work as a jazz drummer. In the mid-1950s, he played with a host of jazz stars including Stan Getz... more

Website | Photos | Articles

Follow Paul Motian

Put AAJ's Musician of ...
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171

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Paul Motian

Source: Michael Ricci
March 25, 2009

All About Jazz is celebrating Paul Motian's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Paul Motian

Website | Videos | Articles

Follow Paul Motian @ AAJ

Put AAJ's ...
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169

Performance / Tour

At the Vanguard, a Conversation for Three, Running Hot and Cool

Source: Michael Ricci
February 17, 2009

Near the end of his second sold-out set at the Village Vanguard on Sunday night, the drummer Paul Motian started into one of his friskier tunes, “23rd Street Theme.”

The tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and the pianist Jason Moran, who round out a group he calls 3 in 1, breezed through the syncopated melody together. Then came an illuminating contrast, as each of Mr. Motian’s attentive partners took a turn pairing off with him.

Their approaches weren’t divergent so much ...
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