Paul Bley

Avant-garde pianist Paul Bley (1932-2016) laid the foundations of free jazz with his trio, which was completed by Steve Swallow and Jimmy Giuffre. In the 1960s, he performed compositions by his first wife, Carla Bley. On synthesizers, he took part in the jazz-rock adventure with Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny. His Synthsizer Show album (1971), recorded with his second wife Annette Peacock, was revolutionary. An apostle of interiority and spontaneity, Paul Bley can be held, like Bill Evans, as the inventor of the modern piano trio. Active until 2008, he made three solo piano albums, including his last, About Time, before passing away at the age of 83 on January 3, 2016.