Library and Archives Canada Music Section THE PAUL BLEY FONDS Numerical List By David Fraser Ottawa, 2005 ISBN 0-662-41669-4 Cat. no. SB4-4/2005E-PDF 1 PAUL BLEY FONDS “Basically, the body of music that exists is like a river meeting a dam – constantly accumulating. It’ll find the weakest spot, and finally it will break through and continue – but it will still be a river. The music is inevitable, and it cannot stand still; it never has been able to stand still. It will change, and it will flow, but the seeds of the solution always exist in the music itself.” Paul Bley, quoted by Don Heckman in Down Beat, 12 March 1964. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 5 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................................................... 6 ABOUT THE FONDS ........................................................................................................ 7 DESCRIPTION OF THE FONDS.................................................................................... 11 MUS 297/A Biographical Records and Scrapbooks ......................................................... 11 MUS 297/B Personal and Professional Correspondence .................................................. 15 MUS 297/C Business Records .......................................................................................... 17 MUS 297/C1 Geographical Files .......................................................................... 17 MUS 297/C1/1 Specific Countries and Regions ....................................... 17 MUS 297/C1/2 General Countries Alphabetical Files .............................. 28 MUS 297/C2 Record Label Files .......................................................................... 30 MUS 297/C3 Publishing Files............................................................................... 33 MUS 297/C4 General Files ................................................................................... 38 MUS 297/C5 Contact Information Files ............................................................... 45 MUS 297/D Records Concerning Paul Bley Performances and Tours............................. 50 MUS 297/E Paul Bley Recordings and Related Records.................................................. 55 MUS 297/E1 Live Recordings of Paul Bley and Related Records ....................... 56 MUS 297/E2 Studio Recordings of Paul Bley and Related Records .................... 92 MUS 297/E3 Combined Studio and Live Recordings of Paul Bley and Related Records...................................................................... 127 MUS 297/E4 Other Records Concerning Paul Bley Recordings ........................ 134 MUS 297/F Compositions by Paul Bley......................................................................... 138 MUS 297/G Writings by Paul Bley................................................................................. 140 MUS 297/H Print Matter Concerning Paul Bley ............................................................ 142 MUS 297/H1 Periodicals with Paul Bley References ......................................... 142 MUS 297/H2 Press Clippings and Copies from Periodicals and Other Publications with Paul Bley References.................................................... 144 MUS 297/H3 Other Print Matter with Paul Bley References ............................. 145 MUS 297/I Photographs and Drawing............................................................................ 146 MUS 297/I1 Portraits of Paul Bley ..................................................................... 146 MUS 297/I2 Group Portraits of Paul Bley with Other Musicians....................... 148 MUS 297/I3 Family Portraits and Other Photographs ........................................ 149 MUS 297/J Recordings of Other Musicians and Related Records ................................. 150 3 MUS 297/K Compositions and Transcriptions of Other Composers and Improvisers, and Other Sheet Music.......................................................... 191 MUS 297/K1 Compositions and Transcriptions of Other Composers and Improvisers ............................................................................ 191 MUS 297/K2 Unattributed Compositions and Other Sheet Music ..................... 197 MUS 297/L Writings by Others...................................................................................... 199 MUS 297/M Other Print Matter...................................................................................... 201 MUS 297/N Varia ........................................................................................................... 204 FILE INDEX................................................................................................................... 209 4 INTRODUCTION This finding aid, which describes the fonds through the files it contains, belongs in the category of numerical lists. Descriptive notes have been prepared for the overall presentation of the fonds as well as for each series. The various levels of description thus enable researchers to find the information they seek by proceeding from the general to the particular. The descriptive notes for each file include a file code, the title, the dates of creation, the type of record (textual records, sound recordings, photographs, etc.), the number or linear quantity of textual records, the number of iconographic records, the number and duration of sound or moving image (video and film) records, a description of the contents of the file when it contains different types of records, and a section reserved for notes, containing additional information such as access restrictions and the nature of the records (original and copies); in the case of sound, film, and video recordings, the reference number is shown. In addition to these elements, the introductions to the fonds and the various series include a biographical sketch (fonds only), comments about the scope of the records as well as the arrangement of some of the series. The present finding aid does not contain any file marked “undated.” Whenever undated records were encountered, a date was attributed, using one of the following forms: [1969?]: probable date; [ca. 1978]: approximate date; [197-]: decade known; [197-?]: decade probable. The file codes, which enable a quick and accurate search of the files, are constructed as follows: MUS 297/C1/1,21 MUS: Repository (Music Section) 297: Fonds (Paul Bley fonds) C: Series (Business records) 1: Sub-series (Geographical files) 1: Sub-sub-series (Specific countries and regions) 21: File (Canada. Festival international de jazz de Montréal) The numerical list is complemented by a file index, which matches file codes with box numbers. In the index, the first two elements of the file code have been omitted for simplicity (for example, MUS 297/C1/1,21 becomes C1/1,21). The design of this finding aid is based on standards prescribed in Rules for Archival Description, prepared by the Bureau of Canadian Archivists. 5 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ASCAP American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers b&w black and white BMI Broadcast Music, Inc. ca. circa CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CCIR Consultative Committee for International Radio CD compact audio disc recording cm centimetre(s) col. coloured hr(s) hour(s) IAI Improvising Artists Inc. ips inches per second LP long-playing audio disc recording (33 revolutions per minute) m metre(s) min. minute(s) NAB National Association of Broadcasters NY New York State, United States of America NYC New York City, United States of America sec. second(s) UK United Kingdom USA United States of America 6 ABOUT THE FONDS MUS 297 PAUL BLEY FONDS. – [ca. 1934]-2000. – 4.41 m of textual records. – 502 photographs: b&w and col.; 30.5 x 24 cm or smaller. – 1 negative: b&w; 3 x 24 cm. – 1 drawing: black ink on white paper; 20 x 27 cm (irreg.). – 1 montage: col.; 42.5 x 28 cm. – 706 audio reels (ca. 381 hrs). – 113 audio cassettes (ca. 102 hrs): analog and digital. – 21 videocassettes (ca. 35 hrs). – 1 film reel (6 min. 12 sec.). Biographical Sketch Born in Montréal in 1932, Paul Bley is one of the few Canadian jazz musicians of his generation to have achieved international recognition as a concert and recording artist. As a child in Montréal, Bley studied first violin and then piano, and by the mid to late 1940s he was the leader and pianist in jazz groups in and around Montréal. In 1949, he replaced Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge. In 1950 Bley enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music, New York City (NYC), and became active in that city’s jazz scene. His debut LP recording, Introducing Paul Bley, was released in 1953. Although based in NYC, Bley remained active in the Montréal scene. In 1952 he co-founded the Jazz Workshop in Montréal, an organization which presented concerts featuring soloists from NYC accompanied by local musicians. The Jazz Workshop organized a February 1953 visit to Montréal by Charlie Parker, who performed live on CBFT television (with Bley on piano) and at the Chez Paree nightclub. During the mid 1950s, Bley toured with his own trio and also appeared in groups led by Lester Young, Chet Baker, Jackie McLean, and others. In 1957 Bley re-located to Los Angeles, where his bookings included a lengthy engagement at the Hillcrest Club. During October 1958 he led a quintet at the Hillcrest that included Ornette Coleman (alto saxophone), Don Cherry (trumpet), Billy Higgins (drums), and Charlie Haden (double