Exuberant and exciting is the Big Round Records debut of big band pianist and composer Ron Paley with THE MORE YOU KNOW. His work is cool, clever, and ridiculously fun. Seven of the ten tracks on the album are completely composed, arranged, and performed by Ron himself.
Today, Ron is our next featured artist in “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our artists. Read on to find out Ron’s most memorable performance…
Who were your first favorite artists growing up?
For jazz I loved Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock. For classical it was Glenn Gould, Sviatoslav Richter, Vladimir Horowitz, and Arthur Rubinstein. As far as popular music goes I was a fan of everything from the Beatles to the Beach Boys.
When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist/composer/creator?
My father started teaching me accordion at the age of seven. He then introduced me to big bands and that whole world of music. That’s when I knew.
What was your most memorable performance?
I will never, ever, forget the very first night of my nine month tenure playing electric bass with Buddy Rich and his big band.
What was your favorite musical moment on the album?
One of my favorite musical moments was in the first song, “Theme.” The piece begins with, ends with, and has throughout, a number of staccato two handed arpeggiated octave figures. The reverb effect added by PARMA to the very last one is excellent!
Was there a piece on your album that you found more difficult to compose/perform than the others?
The title track, “The More You Know,” took the most time to create.
What does this album mean to you personally?
I have always wanted to record a solo piano album. Now I have!
Pianist, electric bassist, composer, and arranger, Ron Paley has composed works for solo piano, big band, and symphony orchestra. He formed the Ron Paley Big Band in 1976 after playing electric bass with the big bands of Buddy Rich, and Woody Herman, with whom he recorded two album’s.