Carla Bley, pianist and composer who became a towering figure on the modern jazz scene – obituary

• Carla Bley, who has died aged 87, was one of the great figures of modern jazz, a pianist, composer and bandleader who explored the further reaches of free jazz as well as the mainstream, including excursions into rock music; while she also assembled small groups, it was her work with bigger outfits that set her apart.