Are We There Yet? (Carla Bley album)

Are We There Yet?
Live album by Carla Bley & Steve Swallow
Released	June 21, 1999
Recorded	October 1998
Genre	Jazz
Label	Watt/ECM
Producer	Carla Bley & Steve Swallow
Carla Bley chronology
Fancy Chamber Music (1997) Are We There Yet? (1999) 4 x 4 (1999)
Steve Swallow chronology
Deconstructed (1996) Are We There Yet? (1998) Always Pack Your Uniform on Top (1999)

Are We There Yet? is a live album of duets by American composer, arranger, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley and bassist Steve Swallow recorded in Europe in 1998 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1999. ^{[1] [2]} It is the pair's third duet recording following Duets (1988) and Go Together (1992).

Reception

The Allmusic review by David R. Adler awarded the album 4 stars and stated "Bley's piano is remarkably versatile and passionate, and Swallow's signature electric bass sound tickles the senses". ^[3] The JazzTimes review by Bill Bennett said "Bley on piano is by no means a virtuoso, leaving the solo chores to Swallow-certainly not a bad thing, in and of itself. And Bley plays like the composer that she is, with a wry sense of humor and a comprehensive sense of intent that gives its piece both intellectual and emotional weight". ^[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]
Tom Hull	B+ ( ) [6]

Track listing

All compositions by Carla Bley except where noted.

1. "Major" - 3:36
2. "A Dog's Life" (Steve Swallow) - 7:15
3. "Satie for Two" (Swallow) - 8:42
4. "Lost in the Stars" (Kurt Weill) - 5:16
5. "King Korn" - 4:38
6. "Playing With Water" (Swallow) - 4:42
7. "Musique Mecanique" - 13:25

• Recorded on tour in Europe in October 1998.

Personnel

• Carla Bley - piano
• Steve Swallow - bass guitar

References

1. Carla Bley discography accessed August 12, 2010
2. ECM Records Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine accessed August 25, 2016
3. Adler, D. R. Allmusic Review accessed August 12, 2010
4. Bennett, B. Are We There Yet? Review JazzTimes , November, 2000
5. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 138. ISBN   978-0-14-103401-0.
6. Hull, Tom (28 February 2018). "Streamnotes". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 9 July 2020.