When one considers that Paul Bley is a constant improviser, the repertoire he chose for this set (ten standards, most of which are from the '40s and '50s) is rather surprising. But even on tunes such as "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,""Long Ago and Far Away" and "I Can't Get Started," pianistBley (accompanied by bassist Jesper Lundgaard and drummer Billy Hart) avoids the obvious and comes up with something new to say. - Scott Yanow
Tracks
01. I’m Glad There Is You (Jimmy Dorsey / Paul Medeira / Paul Mertz)
02. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie)
03. Lover Man (Jimmy Davis / Roger ‘Ram’ Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman)
04. All the Things You Are (Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern)
05. Long Ago (And Far Away) (Ira Gershwin / Jerome Kern)
06. Black and Blue (Harry Brooks / Andy Razaf / Fats Waller)
07. How Long Has This Been Going On? (George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin)
08. A.R.B. (Paul Bley)
09. Blues Waltz (Paul Bley)
10. I Wish I Knew (Mack Gordon / Harry Warren)
11. If I’m Lucky (Eddie DeLange / Josef Myrow)
12. You’d Be So Nice to Gpme Home To (Cole Porter)
13. I Can’t Get Started (Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin)
14. The Theme (Traditional)
15. Becky (Paul Bley)
16. Bolivar Blues (Thelonious Monk)
17. Goodbye (Gordon Jenkins)
PAUL BLEY piano
JESPER LUNDGAARD bass
BILLY HART drums
Recorded in Sound Track Studio, Copenhagen, December 8, 1985
SteepleChase SCCD - 31214