As the 2026 Vancouver International Jazz Festival was underway on Granville Island, I spoke to a gentleman I usually only see annually, George Härm. I have noticed George at festival concerts for many years, and we usually say a few words about the event concerts.
This year was different, because he was more talkative. I was surprised to learn he was a poster designer. His website is filled with posters made in his distinctive style. He explained he had designed a poster that featured Paul Plimley and agreed to send me a copy of the poster above.
George told me he had designed this rare poster in 2004. Number 1 of a series of thirteen event posters, made for the first live music events at Rime, produced by Cem Zafir. At that time, Cem was booking the groups at Rime on Commercial Drive. Paul Plimley played there more than once; I know because we even played at Rime together around this time.
Now Cem lives in Hamilton, Ontario. His production company Zula, presents the “Something Else Festival” in Hamilton. Many Vancouver friends play at the festival through the years.
I am always pleased to gather more items to add to the website and George kindly gave me permission to contribute a copy to the Paul Plimley SFU Archive.
He said, “Though it’s such a miniscule part to Paul’s legacy, I’m glad to help as he was such a significant part of my joy when attending the Jazz Fest through the years. Truly missed.”
I am happy to do this work because Paul was linked to so many of the people and places that made up the music scene in Vancouver and even reached out to make connections in many international places. In my opinion, it is important to preserve memories of the life and times of Paul Plimley and his music, including all the many people he connected with. Paul always brought me joy and his memory remains a blessing.
Video documentation excerpt of the Al Neil Tribute Concert, ‘Seeing It Through’ by Gregg Simpson (drums), Clyde Reed (bass), and Paul Plimley (piano). Visuals of Al Neil’s work mixed by Krista Lomax. Presented by Coastal Jazz and Blues and the New Orchestra Workshop Society.
The archivist and Archive Manager, Dan Pon talks about the addition of this video to the grunt gallery Archives, he explains: Though I never met Paul in person I did have occasion to connect with him in 2021 regarding a video of him, Gregg Simpson, and Clyde Reed performing a tribute concert for Al Neil, held in grunt gallery’s archive. Paul struck me as a consummate artist: sharp in his critique of the audio quality in a video recorded nearly 20 years prior in the early digital age and yet generous in understanding the value of this documentation and in seeking a way to share this performance online without major compromise to his recording ethos. The camaraderie and rapport I observed between Paul, Gregg, and Clyde, even in a simple email thread, made me wish I could have seen their collaborative instincts live on stage together. In the end we excerpted a single piece from the concert, ‘Seeing it Through’, which was a wonderful memory to share and, I think, a great example of archives working with creators to represent their material and creative legacy in a flexible and respectful way. Rest in peace Paul, may your memory live on and your music continue to move its listeners.
L to R: Paul Plimley, Tommy Babin, Kenton Loewen, Trio recorded "Artful Dodgers" Photo Credit: Victoria Gibson
Paul Plimley was very proud of the 2019 Artful Dodgers CD, because he not only played the piano and vibraphone, he was also the recording engineer.
As the producer, mastering engineer and cover designer, I remain pleased with the packaging and the sound. I thought the CD should be entered in the Juno awards and Paul agreed.
Later, I asked him if he applied to be considered. He told me that the application asked for mp3 copies of the music and he did not think his music could be properly heard in that lossy format. I had to agree with him.
Paul had laser focus on the sound and was not willing to compromise. Despite the lack of promotion and awards, there is a review I had not seen before that I linked to below.
This download is a recording of Paul with Robert Leriche made available by Gregg Simpson. A cassette tape recording of this duo has surfaced and will be added to the SFU Archive digitization project. I have no idea if it is new material or the same as this download.
There is a lot more recordings from Paul’s earlier years on Gregg’s site. Once the digitization of the hundreds of hours of recordings in the Paul Plimley Archive is complete, we will be able to listen to a lot more of his music.
This post is by Victoria Gibson, Executor of the Estate of Paul Plimley and creator of this website tribute to the maestro.
The Paul Plimley Trio: (left=>right) Clyde Reed, string bass; Paul Plimley, piano, vibraphone; and Gregg Simpson, kit drums
Condition West Recordings, hosted on Bandcamp, is a project of Paul Plimley’s friend and frequent musical collaborator, Gregg Simpson. Gregg makes digital copies of some early recordings of ensembles he played in available on the Condition West Bandcamp page. These rare recordings include groups led by Paul Plimley and several New Orchestra ensembles of different sizes.
Paul described Gregg to me as one of the most innovative and interesting drummers that he played with in his early career. Paul, Clyde Reed (string bass) and Gregg Simpson were original Paul Plimley Trio members.
Here is the link to “Swinging Planets”, a collection recorded by the Paul Plimley Trio, originally released by the trio on cassette.
1979 The Paul Plimley Quintet playing at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre – left to right: Paul Plimley, piano; Lisle Ellis, string bass; Gregg Simpson, drums; Ralph Eppel, trombone; Paul Cram, saxophone.
The New Orchestra Quintet (image above) shows Gregg on the drums, with Lisle Ellis on string bass. Paul Plimley is on the left playing piano.
The debut of this quintet was in 1978 at UBC and Gregg also offers a recording of this historic performance, “Live at UBC” featuring the same line up of players as in the photo.
Paul and Gregg, with their community of collaborators, were at the forefront of adventurous music in Vancouver, BC. The New Orchestra Workshop Society (NOW Society) continues to present concerts, and facilitates mentoring and educational opportunities.
NOW activities center around the performance space located at 8 East Pender St, called “8 East”. The 8East calendar of scheduled events is online here. The current Executive and Artistic Director, Dr. Lisa Cay Miller maintains this space and manages the society. Find out more on the NOW website.
Paul Plimley was involved with the NOW Orchestra performance ensemble for many years, creating compositions for the ensemble. Much of the group’s repertoire was written by performing members or commissioned for the group. Paul performed playing piano, vibraphone and percussion. The NOW Orchestra toured to Europe and the USA playing for delighted audiences.
There are more recordings on the Condition West Bandcamp page from the late 20th Century era of Vancouver music and many feature the playing of Paul Plimley.
Paul Plimley – Sam Sullivan’s Public Salon – Feb 8th, 2018
Paul was invited to deliver an Artist Talk and play piano as part of the 30th Public Salon presented by Sam Sullivan at the Playhouse Theatre in Vancouver on Feb 8th, 2018. Mr. Sullivan is a former Mayor of Vancouver, who was in office December 5, 2005 – December 8, 2008.
Paul enjoyed playing solo piano for this enthusiastic audience, who welcomed him after a short introduction by Mr. Sullivan.
Description of the Public Salon Video on You Tube
934 views 23 Feb 2018
Vancouver, BC, Canada’s jazz and improvisational pianist Paul Plimley explains his great love for music. Best solo yet.
For the past 40 years, Paul Plimley has been actively developing his music out of the continuum of American and European music traditions – composition and improvisation. Playing piano, guitar, and vibes/marimba he’s toured with many great internationally acclaimed improvisers and ensembles in North America, Europe, China and Cuba. Plimley has released over 30 recordings and three BRAVO TV music presentations. Paul has won awards in computer multimedia, various music magazines and books (eg: Down Beat, Gramophone, JazzIZ, Jazz Times and the Penguin Guide To Jazz), FACTOR and the Canada Council. His many hundreds of compositions cover all media: orchestra, Big Bands, small groups, solo piano/vibraphone/guitar, CD ROM, and movie soundtracks. As a writer, he has written poetry, comedy sketches, two radio plays and several dozens or so narratives/stories covering dream-like and imaginary actions.
This is Paul Plimley’s presentation at Sam Sullivan’s 30th Public Salon on February 8th, 2018 at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre in Vancouver, BC.
Paul Plimley was a great musician, pianist, and a kind soul. We had many fun and exciting times making music and touring Canada and the US together in our trio with Lisle Ellis.
Paul was always happy and we had lots of laughter and joking around during our periods of creativity. Our recording, NOIR was one of my first recordings after leaving Cecil Taylor’s band, and it included compositions from Paul, Lisle and me. For a time it was quite a happy collective. Paul was very open minded and highly intelligent, something that contributed greatly to our friendship and our collaborative efforts.
We shared interests in Captain Beefheart, Allan Holdsworth and much guitar-based music. He was also a foodie and we often geeked out on exotic chocolates and the like. Paul was a rare talent and what I refer to as a “rugged individualist.” I will miss him.
“I have a long history with Paul Plimley along with the Vancouver music scene. It goes back to the middle eighties! So many concerts, meetings in Victoriaville and Vancouver… I even slept on the floor, in Paul’s basement… under his piano! Here I made a little joke part true, part fun because that’s as Paul will be remembered, as a great musician, but more importantly, as a great human being, so positive, always smiling and ready to help out and to solve the problems if any. Paul Plimley and Ken Pickering together, what a good time!”
Michel
Ken Pickering and Paul Plimley at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival Photo by Brian Nation
Michel Levasseur
Directeur général et artistique
Productions Plateforme Inc. Tél : 1.819.752.7912 Fax : 819.758.4370
CP 460, 82 Notre-Dame Est, Victoriaville, Québec, Canada, G6P 6T3
2004 Paul Plimley and Biggi Vinkeloe making music in Sweden. Photo Credit: Michael Thorén
I remember Paul Plimley very vividly from us working together with Cecil Taylor on the score for Legba Crossing in Berlin. We were both members of Cecil Taylor’s Workshop Band, rehearsing in 1988 at the Kongresshalle (also an iconic concrete building). Everyone was so focused and attentive to C.T.
The ensemble had mostly German musicians, but there were musicians from other countries too: Peeter Uuskyla, drums from Sweden; Daniel Werts, oboe from the USA, myself Biggi Vinkeloe from France; and Paul Plimley from Canada; and also Trudy Morse, vocals from the USA.
Daniel Werts, the oboe player, also transcribed the Legba Crossing performance, and added an analysis of the material. Lukas Lindenmaier, the drummer, transcribed Cecil Taylor’s instructions.
We rehearsed the piece so many times, I still remember the feeling and the excitement of it. Paul’s piano is distinct and clear. The first sax solo on the extract on Bandcamp is me playing. On this recording, cover, pictured below, the credit calls me Brigitte Vinkeloe.
At our first day, Cecil Taylor asked everyone to play a short solo piece – a nerve racking experience. I was so impressed by Paul, his fluidity, his sense of harmony and rhythm. Paul asked always a lot of questions, often the ones that others would have liked to ask but did not dare (true for me, at least).
The days with C.T. were intense and long, but also energizing and wonderful. Paul was the perfect pianist for this ensemble. I remember that I admired the fact that he dared to play and develop his ideas so freely. Even while being so free, Paul managed to stay within the given framework, with the master Cecil Taylor listening to everything with big ears and infallibly pointing out if anyone played outside his compositional intentions.
I also talked recently with Peeter Uuskyla, he and I have been working together since the workshop with Cecil Taylor 1988. He remembers that Paul had attended a workshop for pianists with Cecil Taylor just prior to Legba Crossing. He said that Paul had also attended a workshop with Han Bennink.
These Cecil Taylor recordings are important contributions to music history. Legba Crossing has resurged a few weeks ago, and got a lot of great reviews. I don’t know how often Paul has performed as part of a large ensemble, but this one is really so special. It is the only well documented ensemble conducted by Cecil Taylor himself, and Paul is on the piano.
July 1999 Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The Biggi Vinkeloe Trio was invited by Ken Pickering personally after a concert we did in New York City. Peeter Uuskyla, drums and the master bassist Barre Phillips and myself stayed for a couple of weeks in Vancouver, playing several concerts and leading a workshop. Next, we traveled to Victoria, on Vancouver Island for another concert at the Victoria Jazz Festival. This concert was with the Biggi Vinkeloe Trio featuring Barre Phillips. We did our last concert for the jazz festival in Vancouver, recording as a quartet with bassist Ken Filiano.
We attended many concerts, among those a concert featuring Paul Plimley. I really loved his playing, his virtuosity, his great sense of harmony, his storytelling through the piano.
We did not perform on stage together, but Paul invited us to his home. We spent a day with him, playing, talking, also recalling our time in Berlin 11 years earlier. It did not seem that we had not had so much contact throughout all these years. We found common ground immediately – that is the true magic of connecting through music with each other, it always leaves deep intuitive knowledge about each other that you can always relate to even many years later.
The Bay Area, USA
Lisle Ellis and Paul Plimley have been so close to each other in music and in life. Lisle and I have known each other since I first traveled to the Bay Area in 1996 and we have been very close ever since. This was also one way of getting always news from Paul, and feel connected this way.
Sometimes, Paul would call me in Sweden, sometimes at impossible hours, due to the time difference – and forgetting about it. We had long interesting talks about music, about how to create new music and how to connect on a deep level with each other through improvisation.
I attended a few concerts with Paul and Lisle playing – what a beautiful intense creative duo! I always thought I would love to play with both of them. I did two recordings with Lisle and many concerts.
2016 REV Live at Gold Lion Arts – Click image to visit the Bandcamp page
Biggi Vinkeloe with Lisle Ellis and Don Robinson in USA
2004 Sweden, in and around Gothenburg
Lisle and Paul had some concerts in Europe and Lisle wanted to seize the opportunity to come to Sweden – finally! I set up a duo concert at the former sugar plant converted into a new art gallery, Röda Sten in Gothenburg, where they performed amid an exhibition and a fashion show. A quite epic experience, for everyone, as it was not the usual stage – audience experience.
I also set up a few concerts for a quartet, with Paul, Lisle, Don Robinson, drums; and myself on sax and flute, among others we performed at the Gothenburg Art Museum.
2004 Concert by REV+ in Sweden.2004 Concert by REV+, plus Sten Löfman and his trio at the Gothenburg Museum of Art.
We performed at the Gothenburg Museum of Art mid-August in front of a large audience. Actually, it was a double bill, with Sten Löfman and his trio, the REV+ (Don, Robinson, Lisle Ellis, myself plus Paul Plimley). This concert was curated by Eld Records / Michael Thorén.
All the pictures are taken by Michael Thorén, sound engineer and label owner, who still had these in his archives.
Paul Plimley playing a Fender Rhodes at Konstmuseet Gothenburg, Sweden Photo Credit: Michael ThorénL=> R Biggi Vikeloe, Don Robinson, Lisle Ellis, Paul Plimley at Konstmuseet Gothenburg. Concert arranged by Eld Records Photo Credit: Michael ThorénPaul Plimley on Fender Rhodes piano Photo Credit: Michael ThorénL=> R Biggi Vikeloe, Don Robinson, Lisle Ellis, Paul Plimley Photo Credit: Michael ThorénThis photo taken from the producers of the concert: Eld Records website L=> R Paul Plimley, Biggi Vikeloe, Don Robinson, Lisle Ellis, Photo Credit: Michael Thorén
The next day was spent at Studio Fabriken, a recording studio and linked to the label Eld Records. An intense day, with music created directly in the studio.
Michael Thorén, who captured these photos, was also the studio owner and sound engineer at Studiofabriken. His label was Eld Records. I was associated to the label. But due to rising costs and difficulties with the distribution of the labels’s production, he had to make the tough decision to dissolve his label.
L=> R Sten Löfman piano trio opened in Gothenburg; Lisle Ellis, bass; Biggi Vinkeloe, sax/flute; Don Robinson, drums; Paul Plimley, piano; Photo Credit: Michael Thorén taken at Studiofabriken.
Sten Löfman who is on the picture above and below, is a wonderful and highly skilled pianist, with whom I like to collaborate. He came to listen to the recording and to connect with Paul, they had a lot to talk about (piano and music talk that is)!
L=> R Sten Löfman, Front: Michael Thorén, Rear: Lisle Ellis, Biggi Vikeloe, Don Robinson, Paul PlimleyPaul Plimley recording with REV+ in SwedenLisle Ellis recording with REV+ in Sweden.Biggi Vinkeloe recording with REV+ at Studiofabriken in Sweden
Bonnie Wright came along with Lisle Ellis to Sweden. She enjoyed the music and the hang with the musicians. In San Diego, her home city in California, she has a long history of presenting wonderful concerts.
Paul Plimley with Bonnie Wright, concert presenter from San Diego, USA.
In 2022, the recording made by REV+ in 2004 at Studiofabriken is not yet released. Now, releasing these recordings has become more difficult as it is on an older format tape. The machines to play back these tapes so they can be mixed and mastered are increasingly rare and expensive. Perhaps funding will be found to digitize the recordings that Paul made during his lifetime that are currently locked away in older formats. Then this music can be released and shared.
