One of the most beautiful and most played compositions in jazz is called “Lawns” – like “meadows” or “lawns” in the plural. It’s incredibly simple: a melody that basically consists of just two notes, a sequence of four by four chords that start at the same seventh chord in each four-note passage. And yet the small work is full of harmonic surprises, every modulation can be turned into something unheard of, and the elemental solidity that this piece has invites you to the boldest melodic adventures. Carla Bley, the composer, has written a whole series of such twisted catchy tunes, for example the gently rolling “Ida Lupino” from 1966, the ideal accompaniment to an existentialist country trip with Jean-Paul Belmondo. Or “The Girl Who Cried Champagne” from 1987, for which it’s best to imagine exactly the scene that the title describes: a dapper but graceful young woman looking for support and beauty in some confusion.
Obituary for Carla Bley – Culture
