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New York Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Carla Bley's 1970s Experimental Masterpiece Gets a Belated Premiere
On a recent afternoon at the New School, the Tishman Auditorium vibrated with the hum of voices. The sound started so imperceptibly that it took a while to realize that it came from the 10 singers who appeared motionless, lined up in front of microphones. As the low drone grew louder, individual voices peeled off with microtonal shudders and ululations, and foghorn-like trombone blasts wormed their way through the vocal texture. Eventually, a 20-piece jazz orchestra joined in, forming a vast mushroom cloud of sound. 'Whatever it is can't have a name,' a spectral voice intoned, 'since it makes no difference what you call it.' The ensemble, made up of students and faculty members, was rehearsing 'Escalator Over the Hill' by Carla Bley with lyrics by Paul Haines for a performance on Friday. Remarkably, it will be the staged American premiere of this masterpiece of 1970s experimentalism. In an essay, Bley, who died last year, wrote that the work was conceived as a jazz opera, though 'the term 'opera' was used loosely from the start, an overstatement by two people who didn't have to watch their words.' When a recording was released in 1971, the album cover identified it as a 'chronotransduction,' an invented term playing on time and conversion. Whatever it is, 'Escalator' became a cult album. The pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill, who played with Bley and now teaches at the New School, said in an interview that a couple of things might have kept the work from being staged: the composer's gender and the expense of putting on a work of such ambitious dimensions. With vocal styles spanning classical, pop and experimental rock, it's a challenge to cast and difficult to fit into a traditional opera house. O'Farrill said that the hybrid style — the question of what to call it — was confusing to many. 'It's not acceptable jazz to the gatekeepers,' he said. 'It's clearly some sort of monstrous hybrid, something that doesn't stay quietly in its lane.' The sprawling work, blending Indian classical traditions, jazz, rock and free improvisation, was recorded over three years with a breathtaking lineup of stars: Jack Bruce from Cream, a not-yet-famous Linda Ronstadt, the saxophonist Gato Barbieri, the guitarist John McLaughlin and the cornetist Don Cherry, known from his work with Ornette Coleman. Bley's 4-year-old daughter, Karen Mantler, who would grow up to become a jazz pianist and composer, also contributed vocals. In footage from the recording sessions, you can see her stand at a microphone wearing headphones that smother much of her head, eyes fixed in concentration as she interjects 'riding uneasily' in one of the early numbers. In a phone interview, Mantler recalled learning her part by heart as her mother sang the words into her ear. 'I had a few lines where I did not understand what it meant,' she said laughing, 'although I don't think anyone did.' Set at a seedy hotel, 'Escalator' unfolds in a kaleidoscope of voices that is closer to Dylan Thomas's radio play 'Under Milk Wood' than to narrative music theater. 'It's surreal,' Mantler said. 'It's like stepping into a series of rooms and each of them is different.' O'Farrill said that for all the stylistic eclecticism, there is a thematic cohesion to 'Escalator' that sets it apart from other jazz works of this scale. 'Like all large works, this chronotransduction is architectural, with supporting points and balance points,' he said. 'The 'Hotel Overture,' for example, is a piece of foundational writing that supports the entire work. We don't get that a lot in jazz.' In the 1990s, Bley authorized a new orchestration of 'Escalator' by Jeff Friedman and led a handful of live performances across Europe. Mantler, who worked on that project as her mother's assistant and performed in some of the concerts, said Bley had always wanted to make the work available for performance. 'She would have liked to have seen it turned into a theater piece,' Mantler said, 'but it required a lot of funding.' It also requires nerves to take on parts that had been defined by such musical legends. But O'Farrill, who teaches an ensemble class that focuses on Bley's music, said Bley would never have wanted any musician to emulate another's performance. 'It was never meant to be set in amber,' he said. 'Of course they have big shoes to fill,' he added. 'But should they fill them like the people who performed on that record? If Carla were here, she'd be saying: 'Absolutely not.' Because the integrity was not in the performance, it was in her writing.' O'Farrill said that the real challenge in taking on 'Escalator' lay in matching the emotional intensity of the recording. 'You have to press the crayon harder than you do with most jazz that we're taught. There's a gritty aspect to it.' During a hard-driving passage in the rehearsal, the conductor, Keller Coker, broke off and urged the brass players to bring more wildness to their sound: 'You're playing in a barn. You're next to the prize bull. Mix it up!' The students repeated the section with rattling intensity and splintered overblown notes from the saxophones. The sound seemed to shudder like a pot about to blow its lid. 'It has to come from your own experience,' O'Farrill said he told his students. 'Find your own crucible of pain. That's where you're going to find your voice.'
Reuters
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Sabalenka dials up tension by using phone to photograph contested mark
April 19 (Reuters) - World number one Aryna Sabalenka took matters into her own hands and used a mobile phone to photograph a disputed ball mark when the umpire refused her request to take another look during her win over Elise Mertens at the Stuttgart Open on Saturday. Sabalenka looked bemused when an out call went against her to give Belgian Mertens the first service break and a 4-3 lead in the opening set of their quarter-final, and a check by umpire Miriam Bley confirmed the call. The Belarusian went to look for herself and when Bley refused her call to check again, Sabalenka borrowed a phone from one of her team members and took a photo of the mark to a mixture of cheers and whistles from the crowd. Bley then gave Sabalenka a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct but the player put the incident behind her to break back immediately and went on to win 6-4 6-1. Bley and Sabalenka shook hands after the match, which left the player with the impression that all was not forgiven. "When I gave her a handshake there was a very interesting look and a very strong handshake, never had it before," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. Asked if she had returned the pressure in the handshake, Sabalenka said: "No, it's okay, why would I play this game with someone like her?" Sabalenka will meet Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals after the Italian defeated American Coco Gauff 6-4 6-3.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Webster Bank risk chief to retire
This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. Daniel Bley, Webster Bank's chief risk officer, will retire after 14 years with the lender, the company said last week. Bley will continue in the CRO role until Webster finds a replacement, after which he will move to an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition, Webster said. 'Dan has been instrumental in driving a strong risk culture at Webster and significantly advancing the risk management programs and capabilities across the company, in support of the bank's substantial growth,' John Ciulla, the bank's CEO, said in a statement last week. Stamford, Connecticut-based Webster has appointed management consulting firm Russell Reynolds to conduct the search, who will do so in conjunction with Webster, a spokesperson for the lender said via email. The search involves internal and external candidates and does not have a set timeframe, the spokesperson added. Bley manages the bank's enterprise risk functions, including operating, compliance and regulatory risk. He also oversees Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering and fraud programs at the bank. 'It has been my privilege to work with the Webster Board and executive management team that has always been committed to ensuring a strong risk culture at the bank and investing in risk management personnel, processes and technology necessary to support our growth,' Bley said. Before coming to Webster in 2010, Bley served in credit-risk positions at Royal Bank of Scotland for two years and ABN Amro for 18, according to LinkedIn and a bio on Webster's website. As Webster nears the $100 billion-asset threshold that would make the lender a Category IV bank, it is stepping up its hiring efforts and bolstering its cybersecurity infrastructure, Vikram Nafde, the bank's chief information officer, told Banking Dive last month. Webster has plans to strengthen its risk framework and controls, Nafde said. The bank, which has around 4,300 employees, plans to hire about 200 people this year – out of which, about 25 will hold technology and cybersecurity roles on the IT team. Webster is also investing to boost its risk and compliance infrastructure and is preparing for higher capital and liquidity requirements and more frequent regulatory reporting. Ciulla has indicated the lender is building technology, risk and data infrastructure that would also enable it to execute a whole-bank acquisition in the next one to three years if regulatory conditions become more favorable. 'What we have to do for that is a series of things in the space of data, cybersecurity, but also digital and the regulatory reporting,' Nafde said last month. 'There's a big component of technology … as we get closer and closer to the $100 billion mark.' Recommended Reading Citi faces rebukes, new orders from regulators: report Sign in to access your portfolio
