Carla Bley is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. She has been active in the music industry since the 1960s and played a significant role in the free jazz movement. Bley has collaborated with renowned musicians like Gary Burton, Jimmy Giuffre, and Paul Bley. Bley's contributions to independent artist-owned record labels and her role in the Jazz Composers Guild are also noteworthy. She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1972 and has been honored with the German Jazz Trophy and the NEA Jazz Masters Award.