Paul Motian - On Broadway, Vols.1-5 [2012] (5 x CDs)

SUNDAY JAZZ

PAUL MOTIAN

Paul Motian - On Broadway, Vols.1-5 [2012] (5 x CDs)

Paul Motian - On Broadway is a 5-CD box set released by Winter & Winter, compiling the drummer’s long-running exploration of Broadway standards through a distinctly modern jazz lens. Across these volumes, originally recorded between 1989 and 2009, Motian reimagines the Great American Songbook with a rotating cast of collaborators, including Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Chris Potter, and Masabumi Kikuchi.

What makes this collection so compelling is how it balances reverence with reinvention. Motian doesn’t treat these songs as museum pieces, he opens them up, stretches their forms, and lets his ensembles breathe new life into them. Tracks like “Liza”, “Good Morning Heartache”, and “How Deep Is the Ocean” are transformed into meditative, often abstract soundscapes, where melody floats in and out of focus. The interplay between Frisell’s atmospheric guitar and Lovano’s lyrical saxophone is especially striking, creating a dreamlike quality that runs throughout the series.

Each volume has its own personality. Vol. 1 and 2 lean into the trio format, with a warm, intimate feel. Vol. 3 expands the palette with more adventurous phrasing and rhythmic freedom. Vol. 4, subtitled The Paradox of Continuity, introduces Trio 2000 + One, adding a second saxophone and a more angular, contemporary edge. By Vol. 5, recorded near the end of Motian’s life, the music feels both reflective and daring, anchored in tradition but unafraid to drift into the unknown.

This isn’t a greatest-hits collection of Broadway tune, it’s a deep, immersive journey into how jazz can reinterpret familiar material with imagination and soul. Motian’s drumming is never flashy, but it’s full of nuance and space, guiding the music with a painter’s touch rather than a timekeeper’s pulse.

For listeners who appreciate jazz that’s both lyrical and exploratory, On Broadway, Vols. 1-5 is a masterclass in subtlety and reinvention. It’s not just a tribute to Broadway it’s a tribute to the art of reinterpretation itself. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Paul Motian - Liza 4:31

02 Paul Motian - Somewhere over the Rainbow 3:14

03 Paul Motian - They Didn't Believe Me 4:20

04 Paul Motian - What is This Thing Called Love 4:55

05 Paul Motian - My Heart Belongs to Daddy 4:54

06 Paul Motian - Last Night When We Were Young 5:20

07 Paul Motian - I Concentrate on You 3:14

08 Paul Motian - Someone to Watch over Me 9:21

09 Paul Motian - So in Love 4:05

CD2

01 Paul Motian - Good Morning Heartache 4:52

02 Paul Motian - You and the Night and the Music 5:36

03 Paul Motian - Moonlight Becomes You 4:42

04 Paul Motian - But Not for Me 7:26

05 Paul Motian - Bess, Oh Where is My Bess 4:24

06 Paul Motian - I Got Rhythm 5:27

07 Paul Motian - All the Things You Are 7:04

08 Paul Motian - Nice Work If You Can Get It 4:19

09 Paul Motian - It Might as Well Be Spring 5:55

10 Paul Motian - Look to the Rainbow 3:16

11 Paul Motian - Body and Soul 5:45

CD3

01 Paul Motian - How Deep is the Ocean 6:53

02 Paul Motian - I Wish I Knew 6:45

03 Paul Motian - Just One of Those Things 6:17

04 Paul Motian - Crazy She Calls Me 4:19

05 Paul Motian - Tico Tico 2:48

06 Paul Motian - Weaver of Dreams 7:00

07 Paul Motian - The Way You Look Tonight 5:22

08 Paul Motian - A Handful of Stars 6:46

09 Paul Motian - Pennies from Heaven 5:24

10 Paul Motian - Skylark 5:00

CD4

01 Paul Motian - The Last Dance 5:13

02 Paul Motian - Tea for Two 4:07

03 Paul Motian - In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town 3:08

04 Paul Motian - Never Let Me Go 7:08

05 Paul Motian - Never Let Me Go 4:57

06 Paul Motian - Folks Who Live on the Hill 4:56

07 Paul Motian - Everything Happens to Me 3:58

08 Paul Motian - Last Night When We Were Young 8:05

09 Paul Motian - Born to Be Blue 5:37

10 Paul Motian - Brother Can You Spare a Dime 2:46

11 Paul Motian - I Loves You Porgy 8:11

12 Paul Motian - You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me 3:53

13 Paul Motian - How Long Has This Been Going On 4:03

CD5

01 Paul Motian - Morrock 6:38

02 Paul Motian - Something I Dreamed Last Night 9:16

03 Paul Motian - Just a Gigolo 6:43

04 Paul Motian - I See Your Face Before Me 12:30

05 Paul Motian - A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening 7:29

06 Paul Motian - Midnight Sun 6:57

07 Paul Motian - Sue Me 7:06

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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