Misplaced Pages

Psalm
Studio album by the Paul Motian Band
Released	1982 (1982)
Recorded	December 1981
Studio	Tonstudio Bauer Ludwigsburg, W. Germany
Genre	Avant-garde jazz downtown music
Length	44:44
Label	ECM ECM 1222
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Paul Motian chronology
Le voyage (1979) Psalm (1982) The Story of Maryam (1984)

Psalm is an album by the Paul Motian Band recorded in December 1981 and released on ECM June the following year—Motian's fifth album for the label and first with the quintet, featuring guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Ed Schuller, and saxophonists Joe Lovano and Billy Drewes.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states, "The eight compositions by drummer Paul Motian on this ECM release (which is available on CD) are rather dry and none caught on as future standards. But the playing by Motian's sidemen (tenors Joe Lovano and Billy Drewes, bassist Ed Schuller and especially the remarkable guitarist Bill Frisell) uplifted the music and gave this group a strong personality of its own. Although the results are not all that memorable, the music should please adventurous listeners."

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Tom Hull	B+ ()
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul Motian

Personnel

Paul Motian Band

• Paul Motian – drums
• Bill Frisell – electric guitar
• Ed Schuller – bass
• Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone
• Billy Drewes – tenor and alto saxophones

References

1. ^ Yanow, S. AllMusic Review accessed June 15, 2011
2. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 148. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th edition). Penguin. p. 1048
4. Hull, Tom (June 2, 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – On the Web. Retrieved June 20, 2020.

• 1982 albums
• Paul Motian albums
• ECM Records albums
• Albums produced by Manfred Eicher