Paul Motian Quotes

"Motion." I have been doing that for the last thirty years, but before that, I used to pronounce it "Motian" and people used to say "Motan" or "Moden." But when I was a kid, even as far back as kindergarten, people would say, "Paul Motion," so I said, "OK, from now on, if anybody asks me, I am going to say 'Paul Motion' and I am going to spell it the same way." So that is where it stands. Someone once said to me, "It doesn't make any difference, as long as they know who you're talking about." Even with people like Billie Holiday, names being misspelled all over the place. So anyway, that is that story.
Paul Motian

I met Bill, I used to hang around the musicians' union. That was the thing you did in those days looking for gigs, maybe they still do that, I don't know. But, someone said that there was a clarinet player who had had a big band and he had been quite successful. He had a pretty good name. He was auditioning people to put a band together to go on tour. I went to that audition and Bill Evans was also at that audition and that is when we met and we went on the road. We both got the gig. We went on the road with him. I was with Bill about for about ten years I think.
Paul Motian

I started that in 1990, '91. I think I was just checking that. Ninety-one was the first European tour with that band. The first tour was with no saxophone. It was just two guitars, a bass, and drums. The original idea was two guitars, electric bass, and drums. That was the original idea. Because I had had a rehearsal with that instrumentation in my house with Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, and a bass player that used to play with Pat Metheny and we had had a rehearsal and that was the first thing. That was maybe ten years before the band started. I dropped it after that one rehearsal, but it was the Electric Bebop Band. That was the idea and then when I put it together in 1990, that is what it was. And then I guess it didn't have to be. There were no rules. I could add a saxophone if I want and so I added Joshua Redman. And then, we were playing in England and Joshua did half the gig and Chris Potter came over and did the second half. But one night, they both played together and so then I really liked the two saxophones. So I added that and that is what it is now.
Paul Motian