Paul Bley, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Paul Bley, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
SteepleChase/Teichiku Record (Japan) 1982
UPS-2158-S (LP) w/obi, insert.
sleeve : EX+(slightly wear on corner)
media : EX/EX-(some slightly noise. B5 has some light noise)
Canadian pianist Paul Bley—celebrated for his work with the Ornette Coleman Quartet, the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra, and many landmark recordings under his own name—joins Danish bass virtuoso Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen for this 1973 duo album. Recorded in Copenhagen the same year, the program consists almost entirely of Bley originals, with the exception of B5, a composition by Annette Peacock. Standout A2 pairs gently tremoloed electric piano with Pedersen’s bowed double bass, creating a deeply atmospheric space. Throughout, the two unfold fluid, floating lines as if painting in sound—an intimate, exploratory dialogue emblematic of early SteepleChase at its finest.
A2: Mating of Urgency
B5: Gesture Without Plot