Stephen Paul Motian was born on March 25, 1931, and passed away on November 22, 2011. He was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer of Armenian heritage. He helped change how jazz drummers worked by moving them away from strictly keeping time.

Motian became well-known in the late 1950s as part of the piano trio led by Bill Evans. Later, he was a regular member of pianist Keith Jarrett’s band from around 1967 to 1976. Motian started leading his own bands in the early 1970s. His most famous groups included a long-term trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano, as well as the Electric Bebop Band, where he often performed with younger musicians on classic bebop songs.

Biography

Paul Motian was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. His family was from Armenia. As a child, he played the guitar, but at age 12, he began playing the drums. Later, he traveled with a swing band in New England. During the Korean War, he joined the Navy and studied music at the United States Naval School of Music in Washington, D.C., until 1954. He also studied music at the Manhattan School of Music.

Motian became a professional musician in 1954 and played briefly with pianist Thelonious Monk. He became well known as the drummer in pianist Bill Evans’s trio from 1959 to 1964. At first, he played with bassist Scott LaFaro, and later with Chuck Israels.

After that, he played with pianists Paul Bley (1963–64) and Keith Jarrett (1967–76). Other musicians he performed and recorded with early in his career included Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, Lee Konitz, Joe Castro, Arlo Guthrie (Motian played briefly with Guthrie in 1968–69, including at Woodstock), Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, and Don Cherry. Later, he worked with musicians such as Marilyn Crispell, Bill Frisell, Leni Stern, Joe Lovano, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Alan Pasqua, Bill McHenry, Stéphan Oliva, Frank Kimbrough, and Eric Watson.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Motian recorded for ECM Records. He later recorded for Soul Note, JMT, and Winter & Winter before returning to ECM in 2005. From the early 1980s, he led a trio featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano. Sometimes, bassists Ed Schuller, Charlie Haden, or Marc Johnson joined the group, along with other musicians like Jim Pepper, Lee Konitz, Dewey Redman, and Geri Allen. The group played Motian’s compositions, recorded tributes to Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, and made a series of albums called Paul Motian on Broadway, which included new versions of jazz songs.

Although Motian worked with many pianists, his ensembles as a leader rarely included a pianist after the 1970s. Instead, he relied on guitarists. His first instrument was the guitar, and he continued to enjoy playing it. His first two solo albums on ECM featured guitarist Sam Brown, and his Electric Bebop Band included two or three electric guitars. The group was started in the early 1990s and included young guitar and saxophone players.

In 2011, Motian appeared on several recordings, including Live at Birdland (with Lee Konitz, Brad Mehldau, and Charlie Haden), Consort in Motion by Samuel Blaser, No Comment by Augusto Pirodda, and Further Explorations with Chick Corea and Eddie Gómez. Bill McHenry’s album Ghosts of the Sun was released on the same day Motian died. Motian’s final album as a bandleader was The Windmills of Your Mind, featuring Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan, and Petra Haden.

Death

Motian passed away on November 22, 2011, at the age of 80 in New York City at Mount Sinai Hospital due to complications from a blood disorder.

Box set releases

In September 2010, CAM Jazz released a box set called Paul Motian. This set includes several albums that were first released by the Soul Note label: The Story of Maryam, Jack of Clubs, Misterioso, Notes (with Paul Bley), One Time Out (with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano), and Flux and Change (a duet with Enrico Pieranunzi).

In November 2012, Winter & Winter released a box set titled Paul Motian on Broadway Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This set brings together the five volumes of On Broadway into one collection.

In April 2013, ECM Records released a box set called Paul Motian as part of the label's Old & New Masters Edition series. This set includes six albums that Paul Motian recorded for ECM between 1972 and 1984: Conception Vessel, Tribute, Dance, Le Voyage, Psalm, and It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago.

Posthumous releases

The first recording released after Paul Motian's death was Sunrise by the Masabumi Kikuchi Trio (with Thomas Morgan). It was released in March 2012 by ECM. In July 2012, Owls Talk by Alexandra Grimal (with Lee Konitz and Gary Peacock) was released by Harmonia Mundi.

Two live recordings, led by pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, were released by CAM Jazz. New York Reflections: Live at Birdland (with Steve Swallow) was released in October 2012 and was only available on vinyl. Live at the Village Vanguard (with Marc Johnson) was released in March 2013.

In March 2013, CAM Jazz reissued One Time Out on 180g vinyl. A CD version was also included with the vinyl. One Time Out was also released as part of the CAM Jazz Paul Motian box set on CD.

In 2023, Frozen Reeds released Duo in Concert, which includes recordings of Motian playing freely with Derek Bailey from their two known live performances.

Motian compositions recorded by others and tributes

In September 2011, the album Motian Sickness – The Music of Paul Motian (for the Love of Sarah) was released. It includes musicians Jeff Cosgrove, John Hebert, Mat Maneri, and Jamie Masefield.

In November 2011, Joel Harrison released String Choir: The Music of Paul Motian. Harrison adapted Motian's music for a string quartet, which includes Christian Howes, Sam Bardfeld, Mat Maneri, and Dana Leong, as well as two guitarists: Liberty Ellman and Joel Harrison.

In July 2012, Russ Lossing released Drum Music: Music of Paul Motian (Solo Piano) through Sunnyside Records. Lossing created the album to honor Motian's 80th birthday. He also shared a video about the recording on YouTube.

In 2012, Ravi Coltrane included Motian's piece "Fantasm" on his album Spirit Fiction. The performance includes Joe Lovano.

In July 2015, Noël Akchoté released Fiasco (Plays the Music of Paul Motian) as a digital-only album. It contains solo acoustic guitar versions of twenty Motian compositions.

In 2016, Jean-Marc Padovani released Motian in Motion through Naïve Jazz.

In 2018, the Carl Michel Group released Music in Motian via Play On Records.

In 2020, Haşmet Asilkan arranged Motian's songs for solo guitar and released them under the title Paul Motian Songbook.