Paul Bley: Meet Carla Bley’s first husband

Carla Bley, a significant jazz pianist and composer, passed away at her Willow, New York, home from complications related to her battle with brain cancer. 87 was her age. The New York Times received confirmation from bassist Steve Swallow, Bley’s longtime companion.

Free jazz pioneer Bley led a big ensemble with prominent New York musicians, a sextet with Hiram Bullock and Larry Willis, and a chamber-like trio with Swallow and Andy Sheppard.

After Charlie Haden passed away in 2014, Bley continues to lead the Liberation Music Orchestra in his honor. Bley was the orchestra’s initial conductor and arranger when it was founded by Haden in 1969. Karen Mantler, a musician, and Swallow are Bley’s surviving children from that union.

Paul Bley: Meet Carla Bley’s first husband

She met her first husband, fellow pianist Paul Bley, in New York, where he also encouraged her to start composing. Paul Bley, Carla Bley’s first husband, urged her to write music “to keep the royalties in the family.” Her family’s job became writing music.