Carla Bley With Michael Mantler And The Naked Hamlet Ensemble – NDR Jazz Workshop – January 28, 1972 – North German Radio –
Carla Bley with one of many collaborations under the heading NDR Jazz Workshop. This one, from 1972 features Carla Bley along with Michael Mantler on trumpet and the Naked Hamlet Ensemble, consisting of John Tchicai, alto-sax, clarinet and vocal – Irene Schweizer, piano and vocals – Ole Thilo, piano – Peter Warren, bass – Pierre Favre, drums and percussion and Karin Krog on vocals. It was broadcast on January 28, 1972.
I always wondered what it would have been like, had Carla Bley not appeared on the scene, hadn’t walked into the room, hadn’t sat down and let her mind flow. Can’t imagine it.
Listening to this concert from 1972, I understand why she did so much work overseas – she went where she was understood and not shut out because of her gender. Jazz in the early 70s was still pretty much a men’s club (as was Rock, for the most part). That she broke through a lot of barriers and forged new trails is a testament that the creative urge and the reservoir it comes from knows no limits and should never be stifled, for any reason.
Carla Bley was a genius; pure and simple. That she tapped on a bunch of sources for inspiration just offers proof that the tent known as Jazz is enormous and welcomes a vast spectrum of styles and points of view.
What was so special, to me, about her work was the fully nourishing feast of notes and ideas she presented while still leaving plenty to chew on, long after the last bar faded.
This concert comes during a period when the whole horizon of new music was exploding everywhere. It was the Big Bang from which we’re coming back and discovering new bits and pieces even today.
The loss of Carla Bley is enormous – that she was still active and composing until the end gives proof to the vast landscape she actively worked in. It’s a landscape that will be up for discovery and discussion for many, many years to come.
For that, we’re grateful – but we are still shaken and sad – loss is like that.
At least we still have a legacy we can come back to discover new things from.
(Technical note: because this was from 1972 and over 50 years old, the tape is old and there are spots where the sound drops down, and I suspect it may be a longer concert than was either broadcast or on the tape. Still, a wonderful concert.)
