Jazz community mourns as Vancouver pianist and vibraphonist Paul Plimley dies at 69
Beloved musician was founder of the New Orchestra Workshop Society and was a memorable fixture at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Paul Plimley at the piano. Photo by Vincent Lim
VANCOUVER’S JAZZ scene has lost one of its giants.
Today, social media from across the country is filled with an outpouring of grief for free jazz pianist and vibraphonist Paul Plimley, who passed away yesterday at 69, following a battle with cancer.
Plimley was a leader in the country’s jazz avant garde, a cofounder of the New Orchestra Workshop Society, and a regular at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, where he made hundreds of appearances over the decades—including at Coastal Jazz’s inaugural event during Expo 86.
He was as well versed in classical music as he was in every style of jazz.
Plimley was a magnetic presence at the keyboard, so overtaken with the free-jazz flow that he would often lift himself off the piano bench.
“The best moment is when I am no longer thinking, and I have surrendered my normal routine mindset to want to be at one with the spirit of music. I just let go and focus and let the music happen,” he said in an interview with Coastal Jazz before last year’s fest, where he played wth his beloved Paul Plimley Trio at The Ironworks.
Plimley studied classical piano under Kum-Sing Lee at UBC in the early 1970s, later training with Karl Berger and Cecil Taylor at the Creative Music Studio in Woodstock, New York. In 1977 he founded the New Orchestra Workshop (NOW Orchestra).
Plimley was also a frequent collaborator with the bassist Lisle Ellis and was celebrated for his interpretations of Ornette Coleman's music on the piano (an instrument once seen as antithetical to Coleman's music).
His work with Ellis includes the duo CD Both Sides of the Same Mirror and Safecrackers with Scott Amendola, with two well-known recordings for Hat Art: Kaleidoscopes, a collection of Coleman interpretations, and a revisiting of Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite called Sweet Freedom, Now What?.
Musicians today have been remembering Plimley as a generous spirit, a mentor, an inspired artist, and a fun-loving friend.
“I cannot think of a more unique, kind, and beautiful soul than Paul Plimley,” posted Vancouver oud player and guitarist Gord Grdina. '“He embodied the music and beauty inside and out. I can’t believe I won’t get to hear him speak or listen to him play again. The world has lost one of the masters and guiding lights. RIP.”
“Paul was willing to spend the time to play with me when I was just at the beginning stage of improvising. He taught me so much. He was a great influence and inspiration to so many,” recalled erhu player Lan Tung on Facebook today. “He named his commission for the Orchid Ensemble "Proliferasian", and later allowed me to call my new ensemble in that name. When Paul came to Orchid Ensemble's rehearsals of the piece, we had a 4th part to the trio - that's his dance. He demonstrated with his body how we would all play in different tempo at the same time.”
Here are just a few of the other posts paying tribute to Plimley today, followed by some of Plimley’s performance videos;
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