It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago

It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago is an album by Paul Motian on the ECM label. It was released in 1985 and features performances by Motian with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano and is the first album to feature the trio following three albums where they formed the basis of a quintet; Jack of Clubs (1985), The Story of Maryam (1983), and Psalm (1981).

It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago
Studio album by Paul Motian
Released	1985
Recorded	July, 1984 Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg
Genre	Avant-garde jazz, free jazz, contemporary jazz
Length	39:40
Label	ECM ECM 1283
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Paul Motian chronology
Jack of Clubs (1985) It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago (1985) Misterioso (1987)

Reception

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars, stating: "This is one of the finest recordings that came from ECM in the '80s. Paul Bley led another, which featured Motian and Frisell -- as well as John Surman. This set is made of the kind of music that made Manfred Eicher's ECM such a force to be reckoned with. It placed three musicians in a context that was comfortable enough to make them want to sing to one another."[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[2]
Tom Hull	B+ ()[3]

Track listing

1. "It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago" - 6:06
2. "Fiasco" - 7:49
3. "Conception Vessel" - 4:31
4. "Introduction" - 3:05
5. "India" - 7:26
6. "In the Year of the Dragon" - 5:56
7. "Two Women from Padua" - 5:13

All compositions by Paul Motian

Personnel

• Paul Motian - drums
• Bill Frisell - guitar
• Joe Lovano - tenor saxophone

References

1. Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed June 27, 2011
2. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th edition). Penguin. p. 1048
3. Hull, Tom (June 2, 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – On the Web. Retrieved June 20, 2020.