New Music for Old People – Carla Bley Trios at Espinho Auditorium (May 18, 2019)

The Magnificent Trio:Andy Sheppard, Carla Bley and Steve Swallow

When we grow old, the eyes see shadows, the skin wrinkles and loses elasticity, the hair falls or turns white, the fingers of the hands seem trapped, the voice becomes softer and disappears, the legs weary quickly and ask for rest. The memory is lost. The smile for no apparent reason is more frequent, but the words flee and have difficulty getting out of the mouth that has the lips cut by cracks. We are the same, but older and more limited.

How to describe the last concert of Carla Bley Trios, on May 18 at the Espinho Auditorium... Enthroning, entertaining, magical, joyful, hardworking but also apotheotic, understood and accepted by the public who communed with hour and a half of very good music very well played.

With a very fragile look, Carla Bley (b. 1936) appeared on stage more or less at the appointed time, by the hand of Steve Swallow (b. 1940), who also showed in the body and face the weight of the years. Beside the pair, more youthful and resourceful Andy Sheppard (b. 1957). Swallow thanked and explained that they were going to play Carla's music, which is what they do and like to do. They are preparing to enter the studio, which should happen in the coming weeks, with new compositions from Carla. And they came to play some new songs and old compositions.

They started with a new, untitled, promising song that we hope to hear soon on record, and then hit “Ups and Downs” (Duets, 1988; Fleur Carnivore, 1989). At the end Carla Bley left the piano and went to the microphone in front of the stage, thanking the audience. She explained what the “Ups and Downs” theme was, pointing with the left indicator up and down. 

And then reminded us of what Donald Trump said when he first visited the oval room: “Looked up, looked down, looked sideways and then said: the phones are very beautiful. The next tune”, she announced, “is called ‘Telephones’."

Apparently unpublished (or I heard it wrong), “Telephones” is a fun song, where Carla goes to pick up some piano chords from the American songbook, to complete the rhythmic phrases, as is usual in some of her compositions. Magic.

Where Donald Trump should be.

Finally, and to the end, Andy Sheppard, who was greeted several times by his magnificent solos, almost always in grave and deaf tones, addressed the audience in Portuguese to thank our presence. He explained, now in english, that the two themes after “Telephones” were “Into the sun” (?) and "Wildlife" (Night-Glo, 1985), in three parts, being the third “Sex with birds” (I don’t know why but everybody laught when they heard that title). Then they would play "The banana quintet”, in six parts, (The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu, 2007) and by the end “Misterioso” (Songs with legs, 1995), the version that Carla Bley composed from the theme of Thelenious Monk.

Much applauded and despite the fragile look, Carla Bley, returned to the stage by the hand of Steve Swalow and Andy Sheppard for an encore (maybe “Lawns” – Sextet, 1987). They always thanked us with a long long bow. Soothing. I'm sorry that I did not see Carla Bley more often; I'm sorry I did not see her directing orchestras. But her music is ours. Thank you.

Sense of humor; Sense of themselfs

(After the show Carla, Steve and Andy were in close contact with the audience, to a “Port of Honor”. Of course, many white-haired people pulled out their top-of-the-range cell phones and did selfies!)

All images from Carla Bley's personal site/label http://www.wattxtrawatt.com/, one that you should visit because it's funny, unusual, unexpected and with lot's of suprises.