Motian was the drummer in Bill Evans premier trio with Scott LaFaro. "nuff said.
Playing goes nowhere? Might more poetically talk of how he is a jazz impressionist, able to play the pulse as well as in a more time-oriented manner, creating a free-flow of colorations and accents and rhyhmic signposts and milestones without necessarily having to commit to straight-time patterns. Paul can swing and state the One with the best of them; he can also demarcate a pulse without locking the improvising ensemble into any discernible groove. One always has a feeling of a flow, of tensiona and release, but the time is more implied than stated in a marvellously personal style of broken field running.
He is immensely musical. Check out his work on the recent Nonesuch release
Bill, Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian. Musicians love to play with him for the manner in which he HEARS THE MUSIC. Paul does not have the most eleaborate floor routine or employ a lot of technical flummery--he is like a modern jazz Baby Dodds, and a great listener. Pauls's work on pianist Frank Kimbough's Palmetto release,
Play, with bassist Masa Kamaguchi, is also superb.
I once characterized Paul's avant garde stylings by dubbing him "...the patron saint of spastics." He has a way of playing free form that is completely unique. Again, a great listener, who lets the music happen all around him, with unpreditable syncopations and punctuations that break up the flow into odd little groupings and build tension without stepping on anyone's toes. A great orchestrator and colorist.
If you want to hear Paul rock out as it were, in a more groove-oriented manner, he comprises a pretty interesting power trio with Jack Bruce and John McLaughlin on Carla Bley's
Esacaltor Over The Hill, and his work in the Keith Jarrett Quartet with Charlie Haden and Dewey Redman was quite powerful.
Paul is also a very fine composer and has led a number of original ensembles, including his multiple guitar Electric Bebop Band and his longstanding trio with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell.
No Paul's playing is not to everyone's taste, but he is an original stylist and a great listener with his own sound who does not indulge in any discernible rhythmic cliches.
Not your bag. Cool. Somebody must like him.
Fucking A:

Bill Evans Trio
Pierre Favre
Fredy Studer
Nana Vasconcelos
John Gilmore
Gary Peacock
Charlie Haden
Carla Bley
Keith Jarett
Paul Bley
Electric Bebop Band
Geri Allen
Joshua Redman
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Joe Lovano
Bill Frisell
Oscar Petitford
Thelonius Monk
Zoot Sims
Lennie Tristano
Sonny Rollins
John Coltrane
Charlie Haden
Keith Jarret
Ed Schuller
Electric Be Bop Band
Trio 2000
Tony Scott
Gil Evans
Art Farmer
Lee Konitz
George Russell
Stan Getz
Coleman Hawkins
Roy Eldridge
Scott LaFaro
Chuck Israel
Paul Bley