{"id":4761,"date":"2022-07-12T21:32:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T02:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=4761"},"modified":"2022-07-12T21:32:57","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T02:32:57","slug":"healing-power-bley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/healing-power-bley\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Steve Cardenas, Ben Allison, and Ted Nash&#8217;s &#8216;Healing Power &#8211; The Music of Carla Bley&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If Wayne Shorter is widely acknowledged as the most important living composer in jazz, who is the runner-up? Guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Ben Allison, and reedist Ted Nash on&nbsp;<em>Healing Power &#8211; The Music of Carla Bley<\/em>&nbsp;(Sunnyside Records, 2022) present a strong case for their album&#8217;s namesake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That Bley&#8217;s work should need any advocacy proceeds from the nature of her work. The pianist&#8217;s compositions are simultaneously ubiquitous yet slippery to grasp. Everyone knows and plays \u201cIda Lupino\u201d and \u201cKing Korn\u201d (including this trio). \u201cEscalator Over the Hill\u201d and her arrangements for Charlie Haden\u2019s Liberation Music Orchestra are iconic, but how does one account for her Christmas carols or the Dinner Music project?<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=2004576775\/album=1079342014\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One answer is that Bley, who turned 86 in May, has been around for a long time. Her body of work is a lot to reckon with. So, where does one start? Bley\u2019s recordings aside,&nbsp;<em>Healing Power&nbsp;<\/em>is as good a place as any. The nine Bley compositions, hits, and obscurities are played with care, wit, and most importantly, heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This trio &#8211; inspired by the instrumentation of the early 1960s Jimmy Giuffre group &#8211; has been together since 2011. Their longevity is important because the ease and trust with which Cardenas, Allison, and Nash play is not only one of&nbsp;<em>Healing Power<\/em>\u2019s great attractions but a necessary prerequisite for the often-contrapuntal arrangements featured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;The charts never sound pedantic or, worse, arch. \u201cKing Korn\u201d is a merry chase with the three musicians tossing Bley\u2019s playful theme around the ensemble, while the knotty, bebop-influenced head of \u201cDonkey\u201d provides a launchpad for Nash\u2019s daring intervallic leaps on tenor at a brisk tempo.<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=225900606\/album=1079342014\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bley is among the greatest of jazz humorists, yet the downtempo pieces on&nbsp;<em>Healing Power&nbsp;<\/em>linger longest in memory. Beginning with Allison\u2019s tolling bassline, \u201cIda Lupino,\u201d Bley\u2019s most familiar composition, emerges from a heat haze as a dusty Southwestern ghost-town bolero. \u201cLawns,\u201d a ballad pretty enough to have words (does it?), could have been a yacht-rock song or a movie theme. Yet under the sweet sadness of its Brasilian-flavored melody, there is a current of unease, a John Cheever short story in music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bley\u2019s Spanish-influenced pieces for the Liberation Music Orchestra incorporate both the emotional vehemence and towering personal tragedy that burns at the heart of flamenco. \u201cOlhos De Gato\u201d captures both aspects through Nash\u2019s sad-toned clarinet and Allison\u2019s sorrowful, Haden-esque bass solo. Cardenas\u2019 spare, mostly single-note solo has the gravity of a Zurbur\u00e1n martyr.<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=3185533225\/album=1079342014\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point in her long and variegated career, Carla Bley shouldn\u2019t need any cheerleading. So let\u2019s call&nbsp;<em>Healing Power&nbsp;<\/em>the best sort of birthday present for the grande dame of American jazz: one that we can all enjoy.<br><br><strong><em>Healing Power  &#8211; The Music of Carla Bley is now available on Sunnyside Records. It can be purchased on <a href=\"https:\/\/stevecardenas.bandcamp.com\/album\/healing-power-the-music-of-carla-bley\">Bandcamp<\/a><\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>or <a href=\"https:\/\/sunnysidestore.mybigcommerce.com\/Healing-Power-The-Music-of-Carla-Bley\/?\">from the label.  <\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracklist: 1. Ida Lupino 6:18; 2. Donkey; 3. And Now, The Queen; 4. Ictus; 5. Lawns; 6. Ad Infinitum; 7. Olhos De Gato; 8. King Korn; 9. Healing Power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personnel: Steve Cardenas (guitar), Ben Allison (bass), Ted Nash (tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If Wayne Shorter is widely acknowledged as the most important living composer in jazz, who is the runner-up? Guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Ben Allison, and reedist Ted Nash on&nbsp;Healing Power &#8211; The Music of Carla Bley&nbsp;(Sunnyside Records, 2022) present a strong case for their album&#8217;s namesake. That Bley&#8217;s work should need any advocacy proceeds from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":4763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":52,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/016728166423.jpg?fit=750%2C499&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-1eN","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6681,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/music-box-davis-vanguard\/","url_meta":{"origin":4761,"position":0},"title":"Five Music Boxes: A Conversation with Kris Davis on &#8216;Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard&#8217;","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"September 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In Brian Kiwanuka\u2019s excellent review of Kris Davis\u2019 latest Diatom Ribbons album, he outlines how the music presented fits within the context of the pianist\u2019s output to date. It\u2019s a compelling analysis, but an equally worthy one is where to place the work within the history of the venue where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Kris-Davis-Quintet-%40Vanguard-%C2%A9Mardok-11231.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Kris-Davis-Quintet-%40Vanguard-%C2%A9Mardok-11231.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Kris-Davis-Quintet-%40Vanguard-%C2%A9Mardok-11231.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Kris-Davis-Quintet-%40Vanguard-%C2%A9Mardok-11231.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2137,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/rob-shepherd-best-of-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":4761,"position":1},"title":"The Editor\u2019s Reflections on a Crazy Year and his Best of 2020","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"December 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Historians will probably remember 2020 primarily for the COVID pandemic, movements for racial justice, and lots and lots of politics. While all of that is true, to me it will also mark the creation of this site. Postgenre was born on February 20, 2020, less than a month before state\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage8.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage8.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage8.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BeFunky-collage8.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1323,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-iv\/","url_meta":{"origin":4761,"position":2},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter IV: Revival, 1961-1964","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Following the riots of the prior summer, there was no Newport Jazz Festival in 1961. However, the city had not abandoned the idea of being a cultural center for jazz. Instead, promoter Sid Bernstein hosted \u201cMusic at Newport.\u201d In some ways, it emulated the original. It was set in both\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19609.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19609.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19609.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19609.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7350,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/best-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":4761,"position":3},"title":"PostGenre&#8217;s Best of 2023","author":"PostGenre Writing Staff","date":"December 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Below are the albums we collectively felt were the best of 2023 (technically from Thanksgiving 2022 to Thanksgiving 2023). Ties are ordered alphabetically by the leader\u2019s last name. Following the list are honorable mentions; recordings multiple members of our small group thought worthy of merit but did not make the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Best of Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Best of Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/original-4AA5FD17-5CE0-4D46-9496-99CA70683F50.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/original-4AA5FD17-5CE0-4D46-9496-99CA70683F50.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/original-4AA5FD17-5CE0-4D46-9496-99CA70683F50.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/original-4AA5FD17-5CE0-4D46-9496-99CA70683F50.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1354,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-v\/","url_meta":{"origin":4761,"position":4},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter V: The New Thing, 1965-1968","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite its rough shape, the new site was at a fantastic location. Near the JT Connell Highway, it had sufficient space for both a large stage - more than a third bigger than the prior one - and extensive audience seating. It also allowed for convenient parking, a frequent concern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11231,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-cantica-profana-ban-maneri-surman\/","url_meta":{"origin":4761,"position":5},"title":"Review: Lucian Ban, Mat Maneri, and John Surman\u2019s \u2018Cantica Profana &#8211; The B\u00e9la Bart\u00f3k Field Recordings\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"September 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite its jagged start, listen to Cantica Profana - The B\u00e9la Bart\u00f3k Field Recordings (Sunnyside, 2025) its whole way through as it\u00a0 evolves into gorgeously flowing music. On the album- those who purchase the two LP set will also receive The Athenaeum Concert (Sunnyside, 2025) by the same artists -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1279.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1279.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1279.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1279.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4761"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4768,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4761\/revisions\/4768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}