Carla BLEY

"99% composer and 1% pianist”: this is how Carla Bley (Lovella May Borg) described herself. One of the most important figures in modern jazz, she died on 17 October at the age of 87. Active between 1960 and 2020 as a composer, arranger, pianist and band leader, she leaves behind dozens of recordings and outstanding compositions, the most ambitious of which is the jazz opera "Escalator over the Hill" (1968-71).
Born Lovella May Borg in 1936 in California, Carla moved to New York at the age of 17. To survive, she sold cigarettes at the Birdland jazz club, where she met pianist Paul Bley, who became her husband in 1957. They divorced ten years later and Carla married trumpeter Michael Mantler, with whom she founded and co-directed the Jazz Composers Orchestra. Seeking independence from the record industry, the couple set up their own record label, WATT, in 1972.
In 1969, Carla took part in the Liberation Music Orchestra, bassist Charlie Haden's politically engaged big band, for which she wrote most of the arrangements. In 1981, she wrote the music for Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's first solo album. She went on to enjoy a rich career, leading her own big band and playing in small groups until 2020, the year that saw the release of her final album, ironically entitled "Life Goes On" (ECM).
Dany Gignoux photographed Carla Bley several times in concert, including at the New Morning in Geneva on 13 March 1982.