Carla Bley is an American jazz musician and composer who came to prominence in the free-jazz scene of the 1960s. After moving to New York as a teenager, and getting a job as a cigarette girl at legendary jazz venue Birdland, Bley began to compose original music — soon she formed the Jazz Composers Guild, was a leader of the Jazz Composers’ Orchestra, and founded two record labels, JCOA and WATT Records. For over 40 years, Bley has collaborated with artists from the jazz and rock worlds, led her own ensemble band and released dozens of collaborative and solo albums. Now in her eighties, she reflects on a life in sound.
