Play Blue - Oslo Concert (Live At Oslo Jazz Festival / 2008)

In a career that dates back to the early '50s, the great Canadian pianist Paul Bley has released numerous albums as a leader; he’s also put out a handful of solo piano efforts, including the 1972 landmark Open, to Love. The 2014 release Play Blue was recorded live at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2008, and it’s a pleasure to hear Bley continue to spin out distinctive improvisations. Things start with “Far North,” which finds the pianist playing jittery block chords as he builds a musical edifice marked by his trademark lyricism. The expansive “Way Down South Suite” includes blues and swing and much else: Bley might boldly play a single note that rings out in stark isolation or let loose a volley of dissonant modernist runs. It’s hard to know where he'll head from moment to moment. Even in a relatively short piece like “Flame,” he’ll throw in sudden detours that excite. A version of Sonny Rollins’ “Pent-Up House” starts in recognizable form, but Bley goes on to incorporate various tangents. Judging from the enthusiastic applause, the crowd loves Bley’s peripatetic ways.