Paul Motian
Paul Motian | |
|---|---|
Joe Lovano, Paul Motian, and Bill Frisell in Rome | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen Paul Motian |
| Born | March 25, 1931 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Origin | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Died | November 22, 2011 (aged 80) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, bebop, hard bop, post-bop, avant-garde jazz, free improvisation |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, bandleader |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
| Years active | 1954–2010 |
| Labels | ECM, Soul Note, JMT, Winter & Winter |
Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer of Armenian descent. He played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties.
Motian first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans and later was a regular in pianist Keith Jarrett's band for about a decade (c. 1967–1976). The drummer began his career as a bandleader in the early 1970s. Perhaps his two most notable groups were a longstanding trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano as well as the Electric Bebop Band, in which he worked mostly with younger musicians on interpretations of bebop standards.