© 2026 WEAA
THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
THE WEAA STORE IS NOW OPEN, CLICK HERE.
Music
WEAA offers an exquisite mixture of music programming, with a focus on artists, not labels. Our music is rooted in mainstream and contemporary jazz and is complimented by gospel, blues, reggae, world music, and hip-hop and even house music.

Paul Bley On Piano Jazz

Paul Bley.
Hans Kumpf
/
Courtesy of ECM Records
Paul Bley.

A legendary leader of the jazz avant-garde, pianist Paul Bley (1932–2016) cultivated his own musical vision and influenced a generation of performers. Throughout his life, he remained on the cutting edge of creative music, performing with everyone from Ornette Coleman and Charlie Parker to Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny.

This week, we remember Paul Bley with his 2000 appearance on Piano Jazz. Bley performs his original motifs and collaborates on a duet with host Marian McPartland.

Originally broadcast in the fall of 2000.

Set List

  • "Motif #1" (Bley)
  • "Motif #2" (Bley)
  • "Sweet And Lovely" (Arnheim, Daniels, Tobias)
  • "Portrait Of Paul Bley" (McPartland)
  • "Motif #3" (Bley)
  • "Free Piece" (McPartland, Bley)
  • "Sing Me Softly Of The Blues" (Carla Bley)
  • Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Tags