Carla Bley - Social Studies (WATT, 1981)

This post is by Dan

Carla Bley (p, org); Joe Daley (euph); Tony Dagradi (ts, cl); Gary Valente (tb); Michael Mantler (tr); Earl McIntyre (tba); Carlos Ward (as); Steve Swallow (b); D. Sharpe (d)

Recorded September-December, 1980

I first heard Carla Bley on the1968 album, A Genuine Tong Funeral, led by Gary Burton and featuring Steve Lacy, Gato Barbieri, Steve Swallow among a larger group of players. All the tunes were composed by Carla Bley, and I was captivated by their originality and the funereal narrative of the album. I’ve been tracking her work ever since and was delighted to see her election to Downbeat’s Hall of Fame in 2021. Her compositions are covered by many jazz artists, including several albums devoted to her music (e.g., Gary Burton's Dreams So Real, ECM 1976). She has led large and small groups throughout her career and performs her own work almost exclusively. Even in other people's groups (e.g., Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra), she composes and arranges in addition to playing keyboards. Her aural stamp is indelible.

Social Studies presents a larger ensemble recorded in a studio in 1980. The program is a mix of old and new tunes, and they don’t sound like anyone else’s. They offer soloists room for improvisation but are designed to feature the compositions as well as the performers. They sound fresh each time they are played. Passages can move into raucous disharmony and back into peaceful sections rather seamlessly. There is also a good measure of humor on display, for example in the first track, "Reactionary Tango (in three parts)." Trumpets, trombones, and Swallow’s electric bass make the biggest impressions.

My favorite composition by Carla Bley appears on this album and on several others: “Utviklingssang” (loosely translated as Viking Song). Tony Dagradi takes a beautiful tenor solo, elaborating the theme, which evokes both sadness and elegance. (This is a role that Andy Sheppard often fulfills in Bley's smaller trio). "Valse Sinistre" and "Floater" (featuring Swallow) are also favorites and included here. 

Another notable track on Social Studies is "Copyright Royalties." Taken at a loping pace, the soloists are able to stretch out a bit more than usual. Key to the track is Dagradi's clarinet solo, which emerges by surprise from the brass-heavy ensemble. Just another small reminder of the composer's genius.