| Musique Mecanique | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Recorded | August–November 1978 | |||
| Studio | Grog Kill Studio, Willow, New York | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 44:51 | |||
| Label | Watt/ECM | |||
| Producer | Carla Bley | |||
| Carla Bley chronology | ||||
| ||||
Musique Mecanique is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 1978 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1979. [1] [2]
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars and stated "Carla Bley's tentet performs some of her most colorful themes on this often-humorous and generally stimulating set". [3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album 3 stars. [4] Robert Christgau commented, "I'm still attracted to Bley's humor, best displayed here in the title piece, a wry take on the charms and imperfections of the mechanical mode. But this is basically desultory, hinting at the feckless formalism an obsession with textures so often conceals. Beyond the jokes, and the deliberately aborted moments of lyricism, she really doesn't have much to say. Weill sure did. And so did Satie." [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
All compositions by Carla Bley.
Steve Swallow is a jazz fusion bassist and composer noted for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.
Michael Mantler is an Austrian avant-garde jazz trumpeter and composer of contemporary music.
The Ballad of the Fallen is a jazz album by bassist Charlie Haden, with arrangements by Carla Bley, that was recorded in 1982 and released in 1983. The album was voted jazz album of the year in Down Beat magazine's 1984 critic's poll. Haden and Carla Bley placed first in that 1984 poll's Acoustic Bass and Composer categories, respectively.
Tropic Appetites is a jazz album by Carla Bley released in 1974, following her debut Escalator over the Hill. The lyrics are contributed by Bley's friend Paul Haines, based on his journeys to Southeast Asia in the preceding years. Unlike on the orchestral Escalator, the band is an octet, with Julie Tippetts as lead vocalist.
European Tour 1977 is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley. Recorded in 1977 in Munich, Germany, it was released on the Watt/ECM label in 1978.
Dinner Music is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 1976 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1977.
Social Studies is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 1980 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1981.
Live! is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded at the Great American Music Hall in 1981 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1982.
I Hate to Sing is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded at the Great American Music Hall in 1981 combined with three tracks recorded at Grog Kill Studios in 1983 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1984.
Heavy Heart is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 1983 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1984.
Night-Glo is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley with bassist Steve Swallow recorded and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1985.
Sextet is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley released on the Watt/ECM label in 1987.
Fleur Carnivore is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in 1988 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1989.
The Very Big Carla Bley Band is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley released on the Watt/ECM label in 1991.
Go Together is an album of duets by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley and bassist Steve Swallow recorded and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1993. It is the pair's second duet recording following Duets (1988).
Big Band Theory is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1993.
The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in Perugia, Italy as part of the Umbria Jazz Festival and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1996.
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. It is the pair's third duet recording following Duets (1988) and Go Together (1992).
4 x 4 is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley with a chamber ensemble recorded in Oslo in 1999 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2000.
Looking for America is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 2002 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2003.