About Paul

Paul Plimley (March 16, 1953 – May 18, 2022) was a free jazz pianist and vibraphonist. He was one of the leading figures of Canadian improvised and New Music who toured internationally. His explorations into World music, jazz, Western European classical music and popular styles were fused into adventurous, spontaneous compositions. He founded the New Orchestra Workshop Society with bassist Lisle Ellis, his frequent collaborator. One of their duo albums, Kaleidescopes: The Ornette Coleman Songbook arranged Ornette Coleman’s music for bass and piano. According to Paul’s Wikipedia page, ” . . . he was one of the first and most convincing interpreters of Ornette Coleman’s music on the piano.”

Plimley studied classical piano under Kum-Sing Lee at the University of British Columbia. In 1978-9 he studied with Karl Berger and Cecil Taylor at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, NY. In 1977 he founded the New Orchestra Workshop, and he has been active in many of the ensembles associated with NOW, including the NOW Orchestra.

His work with Lisle Ellis is extensive, and includes the duo CD Both Sides of the Same Mirror; When Silence Pulls, with Andrew Cyrille; Noir, with Bruce Freedman and Gregg Bendian; Density of the Lovestruck Demons with Donald Robinson; and Safecrackers with Scott Amendola. Most notable, perhaps, are two recordings for Hat Art: the collection of Ornette Coleman interpretations, Kaleidoscopes, and, a revisiting of Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite called Sweet Freedom, Now What?.

A listing of Paul’s online music sources compiled by Aaron Vidaver can be found at this link.

Posts on this site written by Paul Plimley can be found here