Closer [2017 Vinyl Reissue] [LP]

Paul Bley Trio: Paul Bley (piano); Steve Swallow (bass); Barry Altschul (drums).
Recorded in New York, New York on December 12, 1965.
If the strident experimentation of free-jazz pioneers such as Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler railed against conventional ideas of chord voicing and fixed rhythmic accompaniment, pianist Paul Bley took a decidedly more understated approach to musical innovation. Bley's classic 1966 trio album for ESP-Disk, CLOSER, is a study in restraint. Moving confidently from melodic lyricism to explosive bursts of tone color, Bley and his compatriots--drummer Barry Altschul and bassist Steve Swallow--strike a pleasing balance between order and chaos, creating music as evocative as it is challenging.