Advertise on podcast: Uncle Paul's Jazz Closet

All unreleased live Jazz from the Paul Motian Band touring in Europe in 1981. With Joe Lovano tenor sax; Billy Drewes tenor & alto sax; Bill Frisell guitar; Ed Schuller double bass; Paul Motian drumsSet List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2018/09/set-list-090318.htmlPhoto: Poster for Nov./Dec. 1981 European Tour 23" x 33" © Paul Motian Archive

Hear a reading about Paul Motian's thoughts on racial identity and the story of his only known relative who was also a musician–she played the oud. Thanks to Andreas Schmidt for sharing his 'Poo' recordings!Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2026/02/tethered-moon-unreleased-kikuchi-part.html

1990s Jazz Trio with Paul Motian, Gary Peacock and Masabumi Kiluchi. Interspersed with unreleased solo piano Home Recordings by Masabumi Kikuchi.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2026/02/tethered-moon-unreleased-kikuchi-011518.htmlPhoto: Masabumi  'Poo' Kikuchi, Paul Motian and Gary Peacock 1991 photo: ©Yukio Ichikawa courtesy King Records

This show is a digitized cassette of a concert from September 23, 1980. Recorded Live at Ryles, Boston, MA The only time this group played together: Paul Motian drums, Charlie Haden bass, Pat Metheney guitar, Julius Hemphill saxophoneSet List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/11/1980-live-at-ryles-112325.htmlPhoto: Pat Metheney 1980 © Paul Motian

Unreleased rehearsal tapes of Paul Motian, Bill Frisell & Joe Lovano in 1988. Recorded at Lovano's loft in NYC.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/11/1988-motian-frisell-lovano-rehearsals.htmlPhoto: Joe Lovano, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell 1989 at Bach, Dancing & Dynamite  Half Moon Bay, CAphotographer unknown

Music and readings about guitarist Metheny and drummer Motian. Motian toured with Metheny around 1980.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/11/pat-metheny-paul-motian-around-1980.htmlPhoto: Pat Metheny & Paul Motian at McCabe's in Santa Monica, CA Dec. 1980 photographer unknown courtesy McCabe's & David Goodrich

Eddie Schuller tells stories about the 1980s Paul Motian Quintet. Music with Billy Drewes, Jim Pepper, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell & Paul Motian.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/11/eddie-schuller-interview-081919.htmlPhoto: Paul Motian Quintet  July 4, 1982  Massachusetts, USAPaul Motian, Eddie Schuller, Billy Drewes, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano

On April 4,  1978, the Paul Motian Trio with David Izenzon & Charles Brackeen gave a concert for broadcast on WKCR-FM  radio, Columbia University’s non-commercial student-run radio station. More Info: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/08/paul-motian-trio-live-at-public-theatre.htmlPhoto: Paul Motian 1977 © Richard Berner

Featuring all improvised tunes with Charlie Haden, Paul Bley, Masabumi Kikuchi, Thomas morgan, Enrico Pieranunzi, Marilyn Crispell, Gary Peacock, Stephan Oliver, Bruno Chevron and Paul Motian. With readings from the liner notes of Masabumi Kikuchi Trio 2012 album Sunrise on ECM.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/07/improvised-by-paul-motian-friends-021017.htmlPhoto: Paul Motian © Pierluigi Bumba 1994

Featuring unreleased rehearsal and concert tapes of the 19080's Paul Motian Quintet Version 2. With Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Eddie Schuller and Jim Pepper. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/07/1980s-paul-motian-quintet-v2-part-13.htmlPhoto: Jim Pepper in NYC?Bremen? 1983 photo: Paul Motian

Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian played together throughout their jazz careers. But they only played all 3 of them together before 1963 and 1999- a 36 year gap. I feature the 2019 ECM release of the 1999 tour concert in Lugano, Switzerland, earlier recordings of them, and excerpts from unreleased cassette tape in the Paul Motian Archive. With readings from the Archive.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/07/bley-peacock-motian-when-will-blues.htmlPhoto: Gary Peacock On the Road March 1999 photo: Paul Motian ©Paul Motian Archive

Carla Bley's epic 1971 album Escalator Over the Hill is featured. Paul Motian played drums on some of the cuts. With readings from the Paul Motian Archive.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2021/05/escalator-over-hill-carla-bley.htmlPhoto: Carla Bley 1971 ©Paul Roughen courtesy JCOA Records

This week's show features many early Paul Motian recordings and influences (Warne Marsh, Bill Evans, Tony Scott, Moondog, Lee Konitz) interspersed with Joe Lovano's 2019 release Trio Tapestry (with Marilyn Crispell & Carmen Castaldi). With readings from the archive.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/04/something-old-something-new-012119.htmlPhoto: Bill Evans, Jimmy Garrison?, Paul Motian location and date unknown photographer unknown ©Paul Motian Archive

Featuring music Paul Motian recorded in the 1950s with Jerry Wald (1955, where he met Bill Evans), Bill Evans, Don Elliot, Eddie Costa, George Russell, Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, & Lee Konitz. With readings from Motian's unpublished autobiography about these times.Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/02/more-music-from-1950s-011419.htmlPhoto: Paul Motian rehearsing with the Jerry Wald Orchestra 1955 Photographer unknown © Paul Motian Archive

An unreleased cassette tape of Paul Motian practicing and composing on his piano interspersed with recordings with a variety of pianists he played with: Keith Jarrett, Marc Copland, Frank Kimbrough, Marilyn Crispell, Masabumi Kikuchi, Lowell Davidson, Anat Fort, & Bill Evans. Set List: https://jazzcloset.blogspot.com/2025/02/paul-motian-piano-and-some-pianists.html Photo: Paul Motian & Keith Jarrett 1973  05courtesy ECM Records  photographer unknown