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Paul Motian
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Wednesday November 23, 2011
From The New York Times
Paul Motian, Jazz Drummer, Is Dead at 80
By: Ben Ratliff
Paul Motian, a drummer, bandleader, composer and one of the most influential jazz musicians of the last 50 years, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 80 and lived in Manhattan.
To read the full article click here. IMN artists share their memories of Motian below:
“Paul’s passion and inspiration in music was fueled by his associations and collaborations with the most creative improvises in Jazz which made him one of most influential mystical and magical musicians of all time.Paul was a hard swinging free jazz drummer with an uncanny sense of time, phrasing and form beyond description.. His sound and touch were unmatched and personal. Playing and knowing Paul over the last 30 years under his leadership in multiple Quartets,Quintets and in Trio with Bill Frisell since 1984 has been the foundation of my development as a leader and composer. I will celebrate Paul Motian’s inspiration and influences in all of my future explorations in music for the rest of my lifetime…God Bless you Paul…”
– Joe Lovano
“Paul Motian’s sense of intuition as a drummer was on such a high level, it forced me to bring that aspect of my playing to a higher level whenever I played with him. Anything “intellectual” or half-baked sounded very false when playing with Paul, because his music was coming from such a deep place. He taught me many important musical lessons early in my career, and he became a source of inspiration for all the young musicians who he generously chose to work with in the last phase of his career. Of course I’m saddened by his passing because I’m going to miss him and his music, he meant a great deal to me. On the other hand, I think he had a very well-spent life, and that will always be a source of joy and inspiration to me.”
– Chris Potter (From The Ottawa Citizen)
“Some have used phrases like “supportive” and “tasty” to describe Paul Motian’s drumming. I guess he was those things for Bill Evans in the beginning, but since leaving Evans in 1965 Paul was an avatar. Musicians who worked with Paul had to support him, not the other way around! If he liked the music, he offered a serious opinion and everyone else had to deal. Since his opinion was always the right opinion, it usually brought out the best the band had to offer. The exception was when the band didn’t realize that Paul wasn’t going to change his opinion and begin “supporting” the music like a normal, “tasty” drummer. I liked seeing those gigs, too, though: a boring band on one side, the universe of Paul Motian on the other. Sometimes you can learn as much from failures as triumphs.
The pianist who meant the most to Paul in recent years was Masabumi Kikuchi. On stage they played a chess game in another sphere, like solemn Cheshire cats or combative Buddhas. But Paul worked with other pianists, too, including myself on a few occasions. This past March we did a week with Larry Grenadier at the Vanguard. I started the set opener “It’s Easy to Remember” slower than Paul liked, so he changed the tempo in the first bar. He was right: his aggressive, unsentimental bangs and crashes render this performance breathless and heartbroken. He’s hitting amazingly hard on a ballad that most would play with brushes. I think he really loved this tune. On Saturday and Sunday we began “It’s Easy to Remember” not with piano but with drums. Paul played a chorus of melody — loud, brisk, clear melody — before Larry and I came in. Larry and I were fine, but really Paul unaccompanied on “It’s Easy to Remember” was a complete statement. The emotion was staggeringly clear.”
I hear you whisper
“I’ll always love you.”
I know it’s over, and yet,
It’s easy to remember
But so hard to forget.
- Ethan Iverson (From Do The Math)
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