Last Tuesday, a few hours after Paul Motian died, I contacted pianist/organist Larry Goldings to see if he might offer a few thoughts on the great drummer’s passing. For all his fame as a burning, grooving organist with John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Maceo Parker and in his own trio, Goldings made a touching and enduring piano trio disc in 1997 with bassist Larry Grenadier and Motian. Goldings responded: “I just found out. I’m beside myself. Terrible news. When I have a moment I will gladly send you my thoughts.”
I’ve just heard back from Goldings. He wrote:
Paul Motian, to me, was a non-conformist. He was his own man. He seemed to exist on a different plane when you heard him. Of all the fantastic contexts in which I’ve seen him play, the bass-less trio with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell is the most special to me. I had the pleasure of hearing them many times at the Village Vanguard. There was time, but there wasn’t time. There was a pulse, but there wasn’t. Paul was having a conversation with the musicians. In fact, it was like human speech, in a way, his playing. He was so TUNED IN. Reactive, yes, but in the most evolved way. It was multi-dimensional. And so much humor, and child-like simplicity. Child-like in the way that Picasso said, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
Before I made my record with Paul and Larry Grenadier (Awareness), I called him on the phone to see when we could rehearse. He said, “Why do you want to rehearse?” I told him it was because we had never played together, and I just thought we could get the feel of it by playing a little….He said, “Man, don’t worry…you’ll feel it!” I thought….is he just trying to get out of rehearsing? And he also said, “I’ve heard you play…..it’ll be great!” And somehow…..right as I hung up the phone, I let go of my initial feelings of dread…as in…”we won’t be prepared….he won’t know the music”…..and for some reason, I just TRUSTED him. And from the first notes we played, a few weeks later, I was at ease. He listened like no musician I had ever played with. He WANTED it to be fresh. He wanted to DISCOVER it for the first time, while the tape was rolling. That just blew my mind. And I just gave into it. And it was so freeing to trust completely, and to BE trusted. And I will never forget that.
Thank you, Paul Motian.
Before I made my record with Paul and Larry Grenadier (Awareness), I called him on the phone to see when we could rehearse. He said, “Why do you want to rehearse?” I told him it was because we had never played together, and I just thought we could get the feel of it by playing a little….He said, “Man, don’t worry…you’ll feel it!” I thought….is he just trying to get out of rehearsing? And he also said, “I’ve heard you play…..it’ll be great!” And somehow…..right as I hung up the phone, I let go of my initial feelings of dread…as in…”we won’t be prepared….he won’t know the music”…..and for some reason, I just TRUSTED him. And from the first notes we played, a few weeks later, I was at ease. He listened like no musician I had ever played with. He WANTED it to be fresh. He wanted to DISCOVER it for the first time, while the tape was rolling. That just blew my mind. And I just gave into it. And it was so freeing to trust completely, and to BE trusted. And I will never forget that.Related posts:
RIP, Paul Motian
Jerome Sabbagh on Paul Motian
Rez Abbasi on Paul Motian
Chris Potter on Paul Motian
Joe Lovano on Paul Motian
Marilyn Crispell, Marc Copland and Frank Kimbrough on Paul Motian
Bill Frisell on Paul Motian
Matt Wilson on Paul Motian
Ben Monder on Paul Motian
Dan Tepfer on Paul Motian
Lee Konitz on Paul Motian
