Paul Bley Vinyl Records

Paul Bley (1932–2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was an important figure in the free jazz movement, having started his career in the 1950s as a bebop pianist. His style evolved to incorporate elements of avant-garde and free jazz, as well as folk, pop and classical influences. Bley's most well-known album is probably his 1964 release, Open, To Love. It was one of the first free jazz albums to be commercially released and is considered to be a classic of the genre. Other standout albums include Improvisie (1968), Footloose (1974) and more recently, Alone (2005). Some of Bley's best-known songs include "Ida Lupino", "Ode to a Kudu", "Turning Point" and "The Peacocks". An interesting fact about Paul Bley is that he was an early adopter of electronic music, using a synthesizer on his album, The Pulse (1970).