Search - Carla Bley :: Heavy Heart

Masterful, Whimsical, Bittersweet

reuben jackson | washington, dc | 08/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thank goodness this date has finally been reissued. Seldom (if ever) has anyone captured the arc of a love affair (from roses to rueful reflection) as well as composer-arranger-bandleader Carla Bley does here. Titles such as "Light Or Dark" highlight (no pun) her gift for utilizing arresting ensemble colors, and the anticipation of nueva amour, while the title track's lyrical, wounded but soothing essence is also (as Lester Young once said), "original, man." Anyone who thinks the art of "jazz"orchestration has died the death should begin here. If you do, it wont be your last taste of Ms. Bley's work"