Paul Motian | |
|---|---|
 Joe Lovano, Paul Motian, andBill Frisell in Rome | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Stephen Paul Motian (1931-03-25)March 25, 1931 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Origin | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Died | November 22, 2011(2011-11-22) (aged 80) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz,bebop,hard bop,post-bop,avant-garde jazz,free improvisation |
| Occupations | Musician, composer, bandleader |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1954–2010 |
| Labels | ECM,Soul Note,JMT,Winter & Winter |
Stephen Paul Motian[1][2] (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011)[3][4] was an Americanjazz drummer, percussionist, and composer of Armenian descent. He played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties.[5]
Motian first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio ofBill Evans and later was a regular in pianistKeith Jarrett's band for about a decade (c. 1967–1976). The drummer began his career as a bandleader in the early 1970s. Perhaps his two most notable groups were a longstanding trio with guitaristBill Frisell and saxophonistJoe Lovano as well as the Electric Bebop Band, in which he worked mostly with younger musicians on interpretations ofbebop standards.
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Motian was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania and raised inProvidence, Rhode Island. He was ofArmenian descent. After playing guitar in his childhood, Motian began playing the drums at age 12, eventually touringNew England in aswing band. During theKorean War he joined the Navy and attended theUnited States Naval School of Music inWashington, D.C. until 1954. He also attended theManhattan School of Music.[6]
Motian became a professional musician in 1954, and briefly played with pianistThelonious Monk. He became well known as the drummer in pianistBill Evans's trio (1959–64), initially alongside bassistScott LaFaro and later withChuck Israels.[7][8]
Subsequently, he played with pianistsPaul Bley (1963–64) andKeith Jarrett (1967–76). Other musicians with whom Motian performed and/or recorded in the early period of his career includedLennie Tristano,Warne Marsh,Lee Konitz,[9]Joe Castro,Arlo Guthrie (Motian performed briefly with Guthrie in 1968–69, including atWoodstock),Carla Bley,Charlie Haden, andDon Cherry. Motian subsequently worked with musicians such asMarilyn Crispell,Bill Frisell,Leni Stern,Joe Lovano,Gonzalo Rubalcaba,Alan Pasqua,Bill McHenry, Stéphan Oliva,Frank Kimbrough,Eric Watson and many more.
Later in his career, Motian became an important composer and group leader,[10] recording initially forECM Records in the 1970s and early 1980s and then forSoul Note,JMT, andWinter & Winter before returning to ECM in 2005.[7] From the early 1980s he led a trio featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano, occasionally joined by bassistsEd Schuller, Charlie Haden, orMarc Johnson, and other musicians, includingJim Pepper, Lee Konitz,Dewey Redman andGeri Allen. In addition to playing Motian's compositions, the group recorded tributes to Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, and a series ofPaul Motian on Broadway albums, featuring original interpretations ofjazz standards.
Despite his important associations with pianists, Motian's work as a leader since the 1970s rarely included a pianist in his ensembles and relied heavily on guitarists. Motian's first instrument was the guitar, and he apparently retained an affinity for the instrument: in addition to his groups with Frisell, his first two solo albums on ECM featuredSam Brown, and his Electric Bebop Band featured two and occasionally three electric guitars. The group was founded in the early 1990s, and featured a variety of young guitar and saxophone players.
In 2011 Motian featured on a number of new recordings, includingLive at Birdland (with Lee Konitz,Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden),Samuel Blaser'sConsort in Motion,No Comment by Augusto Pirodda, andFurther Explorations withChick Corea andEddie Gómez.Bill McHenry'sGhosts of the Sun was released—by coincidence—on the day of Motian's death. Motian's final album as bandleader wasThe Windmills of Your Mind, featuring Bill Frisell,Thomas Morgan andPetra Haden.
Motian died on November 22, 2011 at the age of 80 at New York'sMount Sinai Hospital of complications frommyelodysplastic syndrome.[11]
CAM Jazz released a box set titledPaul Motian in September 2010. This release compiles a number of albums which were originally issued by the Soul Note label:The Story of Maryam,Jack of Clubs,Misterioso,Notes (withPaul Bley),One Time Out (with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano) andFlux and Change (duet with Enrico Pieranunzi).
In November 2012, Winter & Winter releasedPaul Motian on Broadway Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 which collects the five volumes ofOn Broadway into a single set.
ECM Records released a box set titledPaul Motian in April 2013, as part of the label's continuingOld & New Masters Edition series. This set compiles the six albums that Motian recorded for ECM between 1972 and 1984:Conception Vessel,Tribute,Dance,Le Voyage,Psalm andIt Should've Happened a Long Time Ago.
The first posthumous release to feature Motian wasSunrise by theMasabumi Kikuchi Trio (with Thomas Morgan), released in March 2012 by ECM. This was followed in July 2012 byOwls Talk by Alexandra Grimal (also featuringLee Konitz andGary Peacock), released byHarmonia Mundi.
Two live recordings, led by pianistEnrico Pieranunzi, have been released by CAM Jazz;New York Reflections: Live at Birdland (with Steve Swallow) was released in October 2012 (exclusively in vinyl format), whileLive at the Village Vanguard (with Marc Johnson) was issued in March 2013.
CAM Jazz reissuedOne Time Out in March 2013, in 180g vinyl format. A compact disc edition is supplied with it.One Time Out was also issued on CD as part of the CAM JazzPaul Motian box set.
In 2023, Frozen Reeds released "Duo in Concert," recordings of Motian freely improvising withDerek Bailey, from their two known live performances.[12]
Motian Sickness – The Music of Paul Motian (for the Love of Sarah) was released in September 2011, featuring Jeff Cosgrove, John Hebert,Mat Maneri and Jamie Masefield.[13]
November 2011 saw the release ofJoel Harrison'sString Choir: The Music of Paul Motian. Harrison arranged Motian's music for a string quartet (featuringChristian Howes, Sam Bardfeld, Mat Maneri, andDana Leong), plus two guitars (Liberty Ellman and Harrison).[14]
Russ Lossing'sDrum Music: Music of Paul Motian (Solo Piano) was released in July 2012 bySunnyside Records.[15] Lossing originally recorded the album to celebrate Motian's 80th birthday; he published a video on YouTube about the recording.[16]
Ravi Coltrane included the Motian composition "Fantasm" on his 2012 albumSpirit Fiction. The performance features Joe Lovano.[17]
Noël Akchoté independently releasedFiasco (Plays the Music of Paul Motian) in July 2015, exclusively in digital format. It features solo acoustic guitar arrangements of twenty Motian compositions.
In 2016, Jean-Marc Padovani releasedMotian in Motion via Naïve Jazz.
In 2018, the Carl Michel Group releasedMusic in Motian via Play On Records.[18][19]
In 2020, Haşmet Asilkan arranged the songs of Motian for solo guitar and released them under the titlePaul Motian Songbook[20]
His surname isArmenian, the original pronunciation is "MO-tee-un;" however, Paul Motian used "MO-shun"
