Uncle Paul's Jazz Closet

Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian played together throughout their jazz careers. But they only played all 3 of them together before 1963 and 1999- a 36 year gap. I feature the 2019 ECM release of the 1999 tour concert in Lugano, Switzerland, earlier recordings of them, and excerpts from unreleased cassette tape i

Carla Bley's epic 1971 album Escalator Over the Hill is featured. Paul Motian played drums on some of the cuts. With readings from the Paul Motian Archive. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2021/05/escalator-over-hill-carla-bley.html Photo: Carla Bley 1971 ©Paul Roughen courtesy JCOA Records

This week's show features many early Paul Motian recordings and influences (Warne Marsh, Bill Evans, Tony Scott, Moondog, Lee Konitz) interspersed with Joe Lovano's 2019 release Trio Tapestry (with Marilyn Crispell & Carmen Castaldi). With readings from the archive. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/04/som

Featuring music Paul Motian recorded in the 1950s with Jerry Wald (1955, where he met Bill Evans), Bill Evans, Don Elliot, Eddie Costa, George Russell, Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, & Lee Konitz. With readings from Motian's unpublished autobiography about these times. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/02/m

An unreleased cassette tape of Paul Motian practicing and composing on his piano interspersed with recordings with a variety of pianists he played with: Keith Jarrett, Marc Copland, Frank Kimbrough, Marilyn Crispell, Masabumi Kikuchi, Lowell Davidson, Anat Fort, & Bill Evans. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2

All live performances by pianist and Paul Motian bandmate Masabumi 'Poo' Kikuchi. The unreleased recordings from the 2000s are Courtesy of Paul Motian and Andreas Schmidt collections. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/02/kikuchi-at-home-and-elsewhere-021819.html Photo: Masabumi Kikuchi ©Abby Kikuchi from B