RIP Paul Motian

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:28 am

Jazz great Paul Motian has passed away at the age of 80. Motian is another one of those guys who's had an enormous effect on the way I play and think about (or don't think about) music. I have a few friends who had the chance to play or record with him and they always had marvelous stories about it. I will miss Paul's playing immensely, but I am grateful that there are over 50 years' worth of excellent recordings of him. He was an inspiration to the end and will continue to be for a long time to come. RIP, Paul.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

austingreen · Post by **austingreen** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:42 am

Wow, a huge loss. Such an inspiration to me and I can't play drums at all. His playing with Bill Evans and his later work with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano, including the amazing On Broadway series, have been a continual wellspring of beauty, always inspiring momentum for my own personal explorations. His brush work and implications of time are a level of Jazz, all music really, that I will always aspire to. This one hurts.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:43 pm

He was a player like no other. I was made aware when I read this tweet from Charlie Haden "Paul Motian was and will always be our heartbeat."

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:53 pm

Oh. Shoot.

GJ

markjazzbassist · Post by **markjazzbassist** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 12:21 am

dang, he was killer with keith jarrett and charlie haden. RIP

joelpatterson · Post by **joelpatterson** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 6:23 pm

They replayed an interview from 2006 on tonight's Fresh Air, what a charmingly relaxed guy!

He was unflappable, and so serene... it seemed like every so often Terry Gross would toss out little, I dunno, little one-liner zinger-style questions that popped into her head... she can be kind of pointed, without meaning any harm, just angling for a response... and he was so real, he was like, "no, I wouldn't say that." And then he'd explain the situation they were talking about, with all the undertones... such humility and gracefulness... so inspiring...

noon · Post by **noon** » Sat Dec 03, 2011 6:05 pm

I echo most of the feelings expressed above. He changed the way I heard, listened to, and approached music. His elliptical artistry is so inspiring. On the plus side, I'm finding people who have been similarly inspired by him.
Like a seed into the ground.

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RIP Paul Motian

RIP Paul Motian

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