The interplay between the three was everything one could hope for from musicians who have been performing together, on and off, for a quarter of a century the two Americans, who’d already known each other for many years, recorded their first trio album with Sheppard – ‘Songs with Legs’ – in 1994, since when he’s been a frequent collaborator, most memorably perhaps on the recent trio albums ‘Trios’ (2013) and ‘Andando el Tiempo’ (2016).

The last few times (except for the occasion when she led the Liberation Music Orchestra in their tribute to the late Charlie Haden), the gigs have featured her trio with bassist (and long-term partner) Steve Swallow and British saxophonist Andy Sheppard and that’s the line-up I caught again last night in a wonderful concert at King’s Place. Thereafter, I not only made sure that my collection of her albums soon became and remained complete, but I made a point of seeing her play live, however large or small the band she was leading, whenever she performed in London.

The first time I saw the American composer and pianist Carla Bley perform live was back in June 1974, when she played keyboards for the Jack Bruce Band a couple of years later the first of her albums that I bought was ‘Dinner Music’, released a couple of years later.

Carla bley lawns album