221. Alan Williams Discusses Carla Bley and Paul Haines, Escalator over the Hill

Send us Fan MailMusician, songwriter, producer, engineer and ethnomusicologist Alan Williams (solo, Birdsong at Morning, Knots and Crosses) joins Al to talk about Carla Bley and Paul Haines’ 1971 album Escalator over the Hill. Alan discusses why he decided to explore EOTH during his high school years, what his favorite parts of the album are, why it has stuck with him over the years and how much he actually likes the album. Alan explores the challenges the album presents to the genrefication of music and talks about several of the artists involved, including Linda Ronstadt, Jack Bruce and Charlie Haden. He also shares details about the making of his soon-to-be-released solo album Floating on the Dreamline (out on March 6) and his experiences with directing the Album Ensembles at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where he is a Professor of Music.You can watch videos of the Album Ensembles’ live performances from Alan’s website:https://www.alanwilliamsevidence.com/musings/an-incredible-simulation-the-umass-lowell-album-ensemble-projectsYou can follow Alan on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at @alanwilliamsevidence.Be sure to sign up for the YMAAA Newsletter at youmealbum.ghost.io. The first seven episodes of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA’s subscriber-only podcast series—are now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum1:16 Alan’s introduction2:27 Alan explains why he got interested in Escalator over the Hill3:55 Alan describes his initial experience with listening to the album7:17 Alan and Al talk about the album’s lack of a story11:01 Alan talks about the blending of the jazz and rock worlds on EOTH16:29 Alan explains why EOTH made a big impact on him19:47 Is it best to listen to all six sides of the album all the way through?22:24 Alan picks out some of his favorite parts of the album27:27 Linda Ronstadt’s involvement with this album puts the rest of her career in perspective30:53 Alan is impressed that Bley got the project completed in spite of the obstacles32:50 Bley continued to collaborate with rock musicians after EOTH34:38 Does Alan actually like EOTH?39:45 Alan explains why he finds EOTH inspirational42:45 Alan recounts a personal encounter he had related to EOTH44:20 Alan talks about artists who influenced the sound of Floating on the Dreamline47:49 Alan discusses how “Feel No Pain” came together51:16 Al hears FOTD as sonically cohesive53:06 Alan talks about his students’ eclectic musical tastes53:56 Alan discusses the Album Ensembles at University of Massachusetts-Lowell1:06:37 Alan talks about his imminent retirement and upcoming eventsOutro music is from “Before My Eyes” by Alan Williams.Support the show