Showing posts with label Gary Peacock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gary Peacock. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2024

Keith Jarrett - The Old Country (Live at the Deer Head Inn)

Year: 2024
Time: 73:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 168,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:14) 1. Everything I Love (Live)
( 9:54) 2. I Fall In Love Too Easily (Live)
( 8:51) 3. Straight No Chaser (Live)
( 9:50) 4. All of You (Live)
( 6:56) 5. Someday My Prince Will Come (Live)
(12:54) 6. The Old Country (Live)
( 8:25) 7. Golden Earrings (Live)
( 8:32) 8. How Long Has This Been Going On (Live)

Keith Jarrett remarked as he listened to a tape of the session: "I think that you can hear on this tape, what jazz is all about." What did he mean? Was he reacting to criticisms of his long-form improvisations? Was it because he was in a small venue that prioritized jazz?

Of course, you can hear "what jazz is all about." Major musicians accompanied him: bassist Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, a master drummer he had not played with for some time.

The first, earlier, album from Deer Head Inn has been acclaimed and admired. Some of the melodies were favored by Miles Davis. Jarrett's work, as before, is shaped by the contours of the songs and the chord structures. He is also challenged by reacting to a different drummer from his Standards Trio.

The venue was important to Jarrett. It was the scene of one of his first paid engagements. The club founded by a jazz-loving English teacher, Bob Lehr, had been recently taken over by Bob's daughter and Jarrett was anxious to be one of the first to play there as it was re- christened. Jarrett describes the intimate atmosphere: "a warm, humid, rainy, foggy autumn night in the Pocono Mountains. The room was full of people, and outside on the porch more people listened through the screen doors." The words have a nostalgic warmth that permeates the music.

Gary Peacock is usually referred to as a master bassist. His history via Albert Ayler, Lee Konitz, George Russell, Paul Bley and Bill Evans shows adventure and openness. His knowledge of mid- twentieth-century jazz is without equal. An extended time in Japan made him aware of another culture. In addition, Peacock was a man of deep insights who endeavored to understand himself and his relationship to music. He said: "There are two approaches to improvisation. The first approach, I would say, is the person, the self, playing the muse, playing the self. And the second one is the muse playing the self, playing the muse. In the first case, it starts with the player and ends with the player. In the second case, it begins with the muse and ends with the muse. It's the idea of allowing the music to take me over rather than me taking the music over."

At the time Peacock's daily mantra was a quote from his Zen teacher, John Daido Loori, Roshi. "I asked him one time, "What is Zen?" He said, "Just do what you're doing while you're doing it." It is so simple, but it is so hard! That's something about Keith. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it. In some ways, he's more Zen than anybody I've ever met."

The drummer from the classic Bill Evans trio, Paul Motian, was substituting this evening for Jack DeJohnette. It is interesting to compare the two drummers. Motian's more restrained, spacious playing contrasts with DeJohnette's more active, multi-layered approach in Jarrett's Standards Trio. There is a freer rhythm from Motian at Deer Head and he undoubtedly has a great influence on the music. He also knows when to do nothing.

Keith Jarrett believed, like Lester Young, that it was necessary to know the lyrics of a song. Knowing the lyric, he felt, makes the shape of his offering more organic, and deeper, the phrasing more elegant. The choice of pieces from this such as the complex lyric "How Long Has This Been Going On?," a subtle sophisticated song about innocence meeting experience. It is not really about betrayal but about the existential reaction to the wonder of a first real kiss. The tempo chosen by Jarrett is entirely appropriate.

An almost hymnlike opening to "I Fall In Love Too Easily" eventually has a world-weary roue feel to it as the interpretation is tinged with regret and self-awareness. Peacock and Jarrett seem lost in the melody with Motian hardly audible. The infectious swing of "Straight No Chaser" almost seems out of keeping with the mood of the rest of the album as it smooths out Thelonious Monk's idiosyncrasies.

Is it fanciful to say that Nat Adderley's "Old Country" has a similarity in mood to Jarrett's "Country"? Both are elegies to a vanished world; both are elegant melodies that linger in the mind.

The enchantment of jazz is that some nights have special, almost indefinable qualities; other nights are almost routine. Jarrett and Peacock have always striven to outlaw the commonplace nights. Here are the inspired variations, the technique under control, the avoidance of cliches, the teeming ideas, the adroit harmonies, the intense concentration and the graceful treatment of wonderful themes. Jarrett is right: this tape is what jazz is all about. By Jack Kenny
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-old-country-more-from-the-deer-head-inn-keith-jarrett-ecm-records__30760

Personnel: Keith Jarrett - piano; Gary Peacock - bass, acoustic; Paul Motian - drums

The Old Country (Live at the Deer Head Inn)

Monday, March 4, 2024

Noah Haidu - Standards

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
Time: 56:28
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 130,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:11) 1. Old Folks
(4:01) 2. Just In Time
(4:24) 3. Beautiful Friendship
(6:06) 4. All The Way
(5:47) 5. Someday My Prince Will Come
(5:30) 6. You And The Night And The Music
(6:55) 7. Ana Maria
(4:32) 8. Skylark
(6:02) 9. Thought About You
(1:17) 10. Last Dance I
(6:38) 11. Last Dance II

In 1983, Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette released the first of their album of standards, Standards Vol. 1 (ECM). The trio's harmonic ideas, insight and collective musicianship went on to become the benchmark for reworking these well- known American songs. Together they recorded 21 albums over three decades.

Inspired by that trio's work and celebrating the 40th anniversary of that release, pianist & composer, Noah Haidu, has released Standards. He is joined by bassists Buster Williams and Peter Washington, drummer Lewis Nash and guest saxophonist Steve Wilson. In many ways, Standards could be considered the companion release to Slowly: Song for Keith Jarrett (Sunnyside, 2021), Haidu's heartfelt tribute following Jarrett's debilitating illness. After recording that album, Haidu felt drawn to the trio format in his live performances and this release has evolved from that time spent on the road.

Starting with relaxed piano and melodic bass, the album opener, "Old Folks," subtly changes to a faster pace as Nash's drums drive the tune forward. "Just in Time," follows with Williams' fluent bass lines and Nash's fluid drumming contributing in equal part to Haidu's eloquent piano touch. "A Beautiful Friendship" opens with supple bass and swings throughout. Haidu's delicate style comes to the fore in the gentle "All the Way" as Nash and Williams hold back just enough to let the track breathe. Having played on the first four tracks, Williams makes way for Washington to take up bass duties for the rest of the album. He starts with a fluent improvisation, along with Haidu, on "Someday My Prince Will Come."

Haidu then picks the perfect moment to introduce acclaimed saxophonist, Steve Wilson on two tracks. The mood immediately changes as his alto takes centre stage on the fast moving "You and the Night and the Music." The Wayne Shorter composition, "Ana Maria" follows. Shorter wrote this piece for his wife, who passed away, along with their niece, on TWA flight 800. The playing is soulful and reverent and as Haidu states: "With the loss of Ana Maria, Dalila and of Wayne himself, this song now embodies the narrative of loss in so many ways."

Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" is a solo piano piece and is admirably executed. Haidu is at his bluesy best while Washington and Nash provide compelling support on the uplifting "I Thought About You." The album could end there, but another change sees Wilson return on "Last Dance I" and "Last Dance II." These are both Haidu compositions rather than standards. Named after a Jarrett recording and composed in tribute to his Standards trio and their final concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. They feature energised solos from Wilson and Haidu. The contemporary feel adds another facet to the album.

Many of the tracks featured on the album were part of Jarrett, Peacock and DeJohnette's catalogue. They are all played with vitality and appropriate respect. The variety of mood and texture, the track sequencing and the use of the different musicians, all ensure that the album sustains interest throughout. They have served Haidu with inspiration for a connection which he has distilled into a clear contemporary musical statement of his own. Highly recommended.By Neil Duggan
Noah Haidu: Standards album review @ All About Jazz

Standards

Monday, May 9, 2022

Keith Jarrett - Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo) Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo) Disc 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:06
Size: 140,2 MB
Art: Front

(32:12)  1. Hearts In Space
( 3:34)  2. The River
(16:18)  3. Tributaries
( 9:01)  4. Paradox


Album: Always Let Me Go (Live In Tokyo) Disc 2

Time: 76:22
Size: 175,1 MB

(34:25)  1. Waves
(14:04)  2. Facing East
(14:51)  3. Tsunami
(13:00)  4. Relay

Recorded live in Tokyo in April 2001, Always Let Me Go is Keith Jarrett's 149th concert in Japan. Joined by his long-standing partners Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, these performances are playful, explosive, somber, and completely improvised. After 20 years of working together, they trust each other (and the audience) enough to deliver over two hours of unscripted music. DeJohnette prowls through his drums like a restless cougar: he chatters, scuffles, and pounces on the skins with agility. Likewise, Peacock spoons out a concrete foundation of bass; one that bubbles as it spreads through the cracks in Jarrett's 88 keys (which serve the pianist so very well). For listeners familiar with the trio's Inside Out CD, here is the same idea further elaborated on. "Hearts in Space" spirals out of the starting gate with geometrical tremors, as three virtuosos all start their respective engines and read each other's pulses over the course of 32 minutes. The trio effortlessly glide from mood to mood in synchronization to deliver a ballad in the eye of a hurricane, then dismount into straight-ahead swing. "The River" is a stoic hymn, a richness of melancholy in deep scarlet blue. It is Jarrett's only solo here, as brief as it is rewarding. "Paradox" rides the crest of bebop in a simmering stew to close out the first disc with a punch that stops on a dime. There are enough recurring themes here to call it a standard of sorts, and the musicians quickly assume the proper formation as they've done thousands of times before. Disc two opens with "Waves," another half-hour marathon of moods that evolves seamlessly between chromatic stillness, manic fluttering, and gunpowder bop. DeJohnette clearly sets the tone for "Facing East" a syncopated clockwork of beat, as Jarrett pinwheels in like-minded percussives with Peacock flipping through volumes of frets. Next comes the aptly titled "Tsunami," which swells and bursts with power before finally subsiding to fractured stillness. It is the fire in the musicians' bellies perhaps the darkest and most ferocious passage of the album. As is often the case, Jarrett's distant vocals pinch the air from time to time. Although purists may wince at this additional layer of seasoning, there's no denying his expression comes out of the deepest level of commitment. It is this same commitment that fuels so much of the album. With the knowledge that Always Let Me Go is live and improvised, it adds a rewarding layer of understanding and appreciation, as few musicians can deliver such diamonds with so little structure in place. Song for song, the symbiosis is a marvel to behold and the audience knows it. These are gods at play, and the lightning bolts they toss around are awe-inspiring. ~ Glenn Swan https://www.allmusic.com/album/always-let-me-go-live-in-tokyo-mw0000662266

Personnel:  Keith Jarrett – piano; Gary Peacock - bass; Jack DeJohnette - drums


Sunday, April 24, 2022

Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette - Tribute Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Tribute Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz, Bop
Year: 1990
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:27
Size: 128,4 MB
Art: Front

(13:14) 1. Lover Man
(11:19) 2. I Hear a Rhapsody
( 6:05) 3. Little Girl Blue
( 9:32) 4. Solar
(14:16) 5. Sun Prayer

Album: Tribute Disc 2
Time: 60:38
Size: 144,0 MB

(10:08) 1. Just in Time
( 8:26) 2. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
( 8:08) 3. All of You
( 7:02) 4. Ballad of the Sad Young Men
( 8:57) 5. All the Things You Are
( 7:08) 6. It's Easy to Remember
(10:46) 7. U Dance

Pianist Keith Jarrett has paid all sorts of tributes through his career, nodding to Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans. But on this two-CD set, Jarrett picks particular versions of tunes to play off. So he pays homage to Lee Konitz on "Lover Man" and Sonny Rollins on "All the Things You Are." His formula for the tributes makes the music surprisingly engaged, dropping lyrical twists in his nod to Anita O'Day and cool loops when tipping Jim Hall. Where some of the so-called Standards Trio recordings veer into impressionism without regard to direction, this collection maintains tempered balance, even finding a classic Jarrett groove on "Sun Prayer," which drummer Jack DeJohnnette drives with a taut rhythmic clip. Alas, the tune fades in the groove's midst. But the package is barely any less strong for the fade and, in fact, stands above most of the other standards recordings.~Andrew Bartlett Opiniones editoriales https://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Keith-Jarrett/dp/B0000031VY

Personnel: Keith Jarrett – piano; Gary Peacock - bass; Jack DeJohnette - drums

Tribute Disc 1,Disc 2

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

The Michel Petrucciani Trio - One Night in Karlsruhe (Live)

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:35
Size: 179,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:38)  1. 13th
(8:22)  2. There Will Never Be Another You (From "Iceland")
(8:48)  3. In a Sentimental Mood
(6:48)  4. One for Us
(9:26)  5. Mr. K.J.
(6:20)  6. Embraceable You (From "Girl Crazy")
(8:35)  7. She Did It Again
(7:01)  8. La champagne
(6:23)  9. Giant Steps
(9:09) 10. My Funny Valentine (From "Babes in Arms")

The SWR Jazzhaus label is sitting on a huge stash of unreleased live jazz recordings made for radio and television broadcast in Germany, going back to the early 1950s. Over 40 titles have appeared to date. One Night in Karlsruhe is especially good news. Only a few previously unknown Michel Petrucciani recordings have come to light since his death at 36 in 1999. Great jazz players are respected but few have been loved like Petrucciani. To see him on his piano bench, his 50-pound body severely stunted and crippled by osteogenesis imperfecta, grinning with joy, his hands unleashing torrential piano romanticism, was to believe in the invincibility of the creative human spirit. In this 1988 concert he plays with the best rhythm section of his life, Gary Peacock and Roy Haynes. They had made Michel Plays Petrucciani for Blue Note 10 months earlier. Petrucciani has been compared to Peacock’s regular employer, Keith Jarrett. His chops were close, even if he lacked Jarrett’s harmonic inventiveness. He also reversed Jarrett’s priorities: Petrucciani put passion first, intellect second. “There Will Never Be Another You” is an eight-minute ascent in piano variations that find ecstasy and catharsis. No one made the piano a medium of ecstasy like Petrucciani. Even “Giant Steps,” John Coltrane’s notoriously difficult set of chord progressions, is cause for jubilant celebration (and confirms Petrucciani’s virtuosity). 

When he played a ballad, his natural fire was barely contained within his gift for lyricism. On this night the ballads are swept up and overwhelmed by energy. “My Funny Valentine” may be the fastest on record. “Embraceable You” is begun slowly by Peacock but Petrucciani smokes it. Only “In a Sentimental Mood” stays rapt. Petrucciani holds it back, hinting at it, touching its edges. It is a dawning revelation when Ellington’s melody gradually coalesces. ~ Thomas Conrad https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/michel-petrucciani-trio-one-night-in-karlsruhe-swr-jazzhaus/

Personnel:  Piano – Michel Petrucciani; Bass – Gary Peacock; Drums – Roy Haynes

One Night in Karlsruhe

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Bill Evans - Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 1
Styles: Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:16
Size: 175,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:02) 1. Five
(4:13) 2. Woody'N You (Take 2)
(5:53) 3. Young And Foolish
(5:59) 4. Autumn Leaves
(3:35) 5. How Deep Is The Ocean
(5:54) 6. Sweet And Lovely
(5:24) 7. Blue In Green
(4:58) 8. How My Heart Sings
(5:47) 9. Re: Person I Knew
(4:57) 10. My Foolish Heart (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(6:57) 11. Waltz For Debby (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(6:10) 12. Gloria's Step (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(6:25) 13. My Man's Gone Now (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1961)
(5:54) 14. Swedish Pastry (Live At Shelly's Manne-Hole / 1963)

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 2
Time: 73:33
Size: 168,7 MB

(4:50) 1. Israel
(6:05) 2. The Peacocks
(5:54) 3. I Believe In You (feat.Shelly Manne)
(4:26) 4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
(3:30) 5. I Will Say Goodbye
(5:51) 6. Turn Out The Stars (Live At The Village Vanguard, 1967)
(3:37) 7. Walkin' Up (Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, 1968)
(5:44) 8. Very Early (Live At Camp Fortune / 1974)
(3:48) 9. Minha (All Mine) (Live At The Wisconsin Union Theater / 1976)
(9:17) 10. My Romance (Live At L'Espace Cardin, Paris / 1979)
(7:33) 11. Days Of Wine And Roses (Live At The Village Vanguard / 1980)
(5:31) 12. The Touch Of Your Lips (Live At The Keystone Korner / 1980)
(7:20) 13. Someday My Prince Will Come (Live At The Keystone Korner / 1980)

Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 3
Time: 67:34
Size: 155,0 MB

( 6:43) 1. Peace Piece
(10:40) 2. Danny Boy
( 7:12) 3. Make Someone Happy
( 5:07) 4. A Time For Love
( 1:37) 5. Waltz For Debby
( 2:20) 6. The Bad And The Beautiful
( 5:39) 7. N.Y.C.'s No Lark
( 4:56) 8. Emily
( 4:30) 9. Remembering The Rain
( 7:04) 10. I Loves You Porgy (Live At L'Espace Cardin / 1979)
( 4:52) 11. Letter To Evan (Live At L'Espace Cardin / 1979)
( 6:48) 12. Nardis (Live At The Keystone Korner / 1980)

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 4
Time: 77:13
Size: 177,1 MB

(5:23) 1. My Funny Valentine
(5:37) 2. A Face Without A Name
(3:57) 3. The Touch Of Your Lips (Vocal Version)
(3:48) 4. I Love You
(6:37) 5. Up With The Lark (Live At L'Espace Cardin / 1979)
(6:29) 6. Funkallero (Live In Antwerp / 1974)
(5:57) 7. Who Cares?
(6:21) 8. Body And Soul
(7:04) 9. You And The Night And The Music
(6:03) 10. Time Remembered
(6:07) 11. Night And Day
(7:34) 12. A Child Is Born
(6:09) 13. Peri's Scope

Album: Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 5
Time: 60:36
Size: 139,0 MB

( 6:54) 1. Sareen Jurer (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 7:04) 2. Sugar Plum (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 7:43) 3. The Two Lonely People (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:10) 4. T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune) (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:19) 5. Quiet Now (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 6:20) 6. Up With The Lark (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:53) 7. How Deep Is The Ocean (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
( 5:26) 8. Blue Serge (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)
(10:44) 9. Nardis (Live At Oil Can Harry's / 1975)

Only occasionally do classy looking limited-edition box sets prove to be a triumph of style and substance. Too often they are undermined by cheapskate packaging, over elaborate design, poorly written and researched booklets, inadequate session details or, most egregiously, bizarre (in a bad way) track selections. So it is a more than pleasant surprise when something comes along which succeeds, and succeeds magnificently, on all those fronts. Such an item is Concord Records' Craft imprint's Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans: A Career Retrospective (1956—1980).

The 5-CD set comes in a seriously heavyweight, hard bound, velour wrapped, 12" x 10" portfolio style book with a foil-stamped cover. Inside are the discs and a stitched-in 48-page book. There are some great photographs, but the main event is an essay by the Chicago-based writer and Bill Evans connoisseur Neil Tesser. That is followed by complete session details. The whole shebang was produced Nick Phillips (check the YouTube clip below). The music itself has been newly remastered by Paul Blakemore, and immaculately so: the audio quality is off-the-scale superb.

The first four discs total playing time just under five hours cherry pick some of the greatest work Evans released on Riverside, Milestone, Verve, Warner Bros., Fantasy, Elektra/Musician, The Jazz Alliance, United Artists and Nova Discs. Discs One and Two (Trialogues Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) cover his trio recordings from 1956 to 1980. Disc Three (Monologues) surveys his solo recordings from 1958 to 1980. Disc Four (Dialogues & Confluences) takes in some of his co-headlining and sideperson work from 1962 to 1979. It is here that the only significant omission occurs: there is nothing from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (Columbia, 1959). Licensing difficulties, presumably.

Disc Five is the icing on the cake. It contains a recently discovered, previously unreleased, live recording of an hour-long performance Evans gave at the long since defunct Oil Can Harry's, Vancouver in June 1975, with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund. The recording appears to have been broadcast once on local radio and then put away in the station's tape archive. The performance contains no previously unrecorded material but most of it was in 1975 quite recently arrived in the set list. Evans had first recorded the opener, Earl Zindars' "Sareen Jurer," in 1974; his own "Sugar Plum," "The Two Lonely People" and "T.T.T." in 1971; and Jerome Kern's "Up With The Lark" in 1972. The other four tunes were familiar Evans fare: Denny Zeitlin's "Quiet Now," Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is The Ocean," Mercer Ellington's "Blue Serge" and, at almost eleven minutes the longest track, Miles Davis' "Nardis," the closer. The group is in terrific form and the sound quality is excellent (take a bow audio restorers Jamie Howarth, John Chester and the aforementioned Paul Blakemore). The performance is also being released on two 180-gram vinyl LPs as On A Friday Evening.Listening to the complete box set, one is reminded that Evans reached his peak of perfection, in a trio format anyway, between 1959 and 1961 with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. But that peak was so lofty that even Evans' lower slopes are heavenly and this well compiled collection contains no lower slopes, only peaks and upper slopes.~ Chris May https://www.allaboutjazz.com/everybody-still-digs-bill-evans-a-career-retrospective-1956-1980-bill-evans-craft-recordings

Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Teddy Kotick: bass; Paul Chambers: bass, acoustic; Sam Jones: bass; Scott LaFaro: bass; Chuck Israels: bass, acoustic; Eddie Gomez: bass; Gary Peacock: bass, acoustic; Marc Johnson: bass; Paul Motian: drums; Philly Joe Jones: drums; Larry Bunker: drums; Shelly Manne: drums; Jack DeJohnette: drums; Marty Morell: drums; Joe La Barbera: drums.

Additional Instrumentation: Jim Hall: guitar; Eliot Zigmund: drums; Tony Bennett: vocal; Marian McPartland; piano; Stan Getz: tenor saxophone; Cannonball Adderley: alto saxophone; Percy Heath: bass; Connie Kay: drums; Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; Zoot Sims: tenor saxophone; Ron Carter: bass; Lee Konitz: alto saxophone; Warne Marsh: tenor saxophone; Harold Land: tenor saxophone; Kenny Burrell: guitar; Ray Brown: bass; Tom Harrell: trumpet; Larry Schneider: tenor saxophone.

Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans Disc 3,4,5

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Prince Lasha - The Cry!

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:00
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:07) 1. Congo Call
(7:01) 2. Bojangles
(4:55) 3. Green and Gold
(5:03) 4. Ghost of the Past
(5:07) 5. Red's Mood
(5:36) 6. Juanita
(5:18) 7. Lost Generation
(4:48) 8. A.Y
.
Give a quick listen to this CD and you might be tempted to write off Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons as Ornette Coleman knockoffs, albeit good ones. The reality is that Lasha had been playing with Coleman since high school, swapping ideas and looking for fellow players in a world that wasn’t quite ready for what they had to offer. Coleman broke through first, and finally people were ready for Lasha; The Cry, one of Lasha and Simmons’ only appearances on record, present them as a fine working unit that never quite garnered that much attention. Both Coleman and Lasha have similar approaches, yet Lasha’s compositions are more accessible than Coleman’s. Unlike Haden and Higgins, the rhythm section is content to follow a very consistent pulse (unusual for Peacock), providing a firm base that allows the two horns to explore all sorts of terrain. The heads (such as they are) are practically hummable and almost pretty. Simmons sounds quite a bit like a Coleman with more precision, and in fact may be using a plastic alto; Lasha prefers a wooden flute, which gives his passages a dark, earthy tone that contrasts well with the bitter, vibratoless sax. One can be forgiven for thinking that this is Simmon’s date; he gets two songs all to himself without Lasha, both of which show that he could have been a major player in the free jazz area if the cards were dealt differently. These guys probably don’t understand harmolodics any more than you do, but are still capable of creating fine free jazz that succeeds at being adventurous without being demanding. ~ David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-cry-prince-lasha-fantasy-jazz-review-by-david-rickert.php

Personnel: Prince Lasha-flute, Sonny Simmons-alto sax, Gary Peacock, Mark Proctor-bass, Gene Stone-drums.

The Cry!

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Clare Fischer - First Time Out

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:22
Size: 95,5 MB
Art: Front

(7:10) 1. Nigerian Walk
(4:42) 2. Toddler
(4:03) 3. Stranger
(4:10) 4. Afterfact
(7:33) 5. Free Too Long
(3:15) 6. Piece For Scotty
(5:12) 7. Blues For Home
(5:15) 8. I Love You

First Time Out is the debut album by American composer/arranger/keyboardist Clare Fischer, recorded and released in 1962 by Pacific Jazz Records. Aside from the overwhelmingly positive response that greeted Fischer's debut, the most pervasive reaction was sheer surprise; indeed, Down Beat's 5-star review dubbed it "the biggest surprise of the year." As jazz historian and critic Martin Williams observes, writing in The Saturday Review: First Time Out is from a rather unexpected source: it is a recital by a piano trio, led by Clare Fischer, a man previously known for his arranging and composing. Fischer's piano is not 'interesting,' as an arranger's piano is apt to be. It is much more accomplished than that." While struggling to pinpoint Fischer's pianistic forebears, finding elements of both Bill Evans and Dodo Marmarosa, critic Leonard Feather echoes Williams' essential point, noting Fischer's "complete command of the keyboard; unlike Gil Evans, Tadd Dameron, and other arrangers who are secondarily pianists, he can be judged entirely by a pianistic yardstick."

Gramophone's review praises "this superlative album," in part for preventing Fischer from "becoming one of the most neglected figures in jazz."[5] The Atlanta Daily World's Albert Anderson stops short of such hyperbole, but does acknowledge his own surprise: I knew well before reviewing this record that Fischer was a composer of note. What I didn't know, though, was that he is such an outstanding pianist. However, after listening to these tracks (five of which are Fischer originals), I was tremendously impressed by his facility with a tune - He plays with mastery, melody and perhaps, too, with his audience in mind. The latter is suggested clearly in shifting moods and tempos; there is never a dull moment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Time_Out_(album)

Personnel: Clare Fischer - piano, composer; Gary Peacock - bass; Gene Stone - drums

First Time Out

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Gary Peacock, Marc Copland - Insight

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:06
Size: 133,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. All Blues
(2:22)  2. The Wanderer
(6:23)  3. Blue in Green
(2:42)  4. Rush Hour
(6:44)  5. River's Run
(2:21)  6. Matterhorn
(4:17)  7. The Pond
(6:47)  8. Goes out Comes In
(2:25)  9. Late Night
(7:24) 10. Cavatina
(4:53) 11. In Your Own Sweet Way
(3:43) 12. Benediction
(3:36) 13. Sweet and Lovely

Gary Peacock and pianist Marc Copland have been working together for nearly 20 years, though most often in a trio setting. Peacock was Copland's bassist of choice on two of his New York Trio Recordings trilogy sets  Modhina (2006) and Voices (2007), both on the German Pirouet label. But for a pianist who mines dark, impressionistic yet subtly romantic places, the most intimate of settings is the duo, and this pair's first (and, until now, only) duet recording, What It Says (Sketch, 2004), was a remarkable demonstration of profound interaction and sublime beauty. The two reunite for Insight, with Peacock's name first on the marquee, though it's likely nothing more than the egalitarian nature of this duo that his name is first, since Copland's was the lead on What It Says. It's another set of deeply connected music a mix of Copland and Peacock originals, free improvisations and well-known but instinctively personal covers. It may or may not be a coincidence that two tunes from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) are played, opening with a version of "All Blues" that's bright in tempo but tenebrously indigo in ambience. He possesses unmistakable roots in Bill Evans, the primary pianist on Davis' iconic recording, but Copland's voicings are more abstract and even more impressionistic, running both in tandem and in contrast with Peacock's relentlessly frenetic bass line. "Blue in Green" is even more subdued, though Peacock takes a solo that's one of his best on the album, an endless wellspring of thematic invention.

Peacock's highest profile gig is with Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio, but while it's an unequivocally creative place to be, he feels more open-ended here, especially during the five spontaneous compositions he creates with Copland. The act of not playing is as active a participating action as playing, and on "The Wanderer," he doesn't even enter until the song's final 25 seconds, but it grounds Copland's repetitive, gradually solidifying pattern, despite doing nothing more than following the pianist's right hand. He's more actively engaged on "Rush Hour," a kinetic free improv about two voices merging as one. Copland revisits his own brooding blues, "River's Run," heard solo on his remarkable Time Within Time (Hatology, 2005) and on Voices; here, Peacock provides a more definitive pulse while interacting contrapuntally with Copland. Peacock solos initially, between Copland's rippling, cued figures on "The Pond" with Copland taking over to introduce delicately elegant cascading lines without ever losing sight of the song's core.

The duo is at its most direct during the intro to Stanley Myers' melancholic "Cavatina," the theme song to Michael Cimono's classic The Deer Hunter (1978), but ultimately dissolves into freer time, again still respecting the song's essence. It's their innate ability to head into uncharted territory while remaining reverential to their source that makes Peacock and Copland such a compelling duo. A clear window into the improvisational mindset, Insight is another high water mark for both of these fine, interpretive, and consistently inventive musicians.~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/insight-gary-peacock-pirouet-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock: bass; Marc Copland: piano.

Gary Peacock (R.I.P)
Born: 12-05-1935
Died: 05-09-2020

Insight

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Paul Bley - When Will The Blues Leave

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:13
Size: 129,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:35)  1. Mazatlan
( 5:37)  2. Flame
( 9:48)  3. Told You So
( 7:14)  4. Moor
( 5:33)  5. Longer
( 6:01)  6. Dialogue Amour
( 5:26)  7. When Will The Blues Leave
( 4:56)  8. I Loves You Porgy

Had Paul Bley, Gary Peacock and Paul Motian recorded together more consistently, they would have been considered among the best piano trios in modern jazz history. The three first recorded on the ECM collection Paul Bley with Gary Peacock (1970), a compilation from the 1960s where three of the eight tracks had Billy Elgart on drums. It would be decades before the trio reunited in the studio, and again, ECM captured the session, Not Two, Not One (1998). When Will The Blues Leave, from that same period of time, was recorded live in 1999, at Lugano's Aula Magna in 1999 at the Great Hall of University of Lugano, Italy. When Will The Blues Leave is the first posthumous release of new Bley material since his passing in 2016. The Canadian-born pianist/composer is considered by some to be one of the most important innovators in jazz music. His musical associations date to work in the 1950s with Ornette Coleman and Charles Mingus. He was a pioneer in the fusion of jazz and electronics, a tireless explorer of new music, technique, and an educator and mentor. There are none of the typical parameters with a rhythm section of Peacock and Motian; they were, by this time, highly regarded composers and leaders whose individual ideas were incorporated into any setting in which they worked. Peacock, most famous for the Keith Jarrett trio, has worked with many legendary pianists including Bill Evans, Mal Waldron, Marilyn Crispell and Marc Copland. Motian had worked in those same circles, at times, with Peacock. The trio reaches back to the 1960s for the opener, "Mazatlan," which first appeared on Bley's Ramblin' (BYG, 1969). 

At more than eleven-minutes, it's a deep dive into Bley's early avant-garde phase. There are slower paced tunes such as "Flame" and "Told You So" from Bley's solo albums Tears (Owl, 1984) and Basics (Justin Time, 2001), and the Peacock/Bley composition "Dialogue Amour" from Not Two, Not One. The sophistication and creative skills of Peacock and Motian are on full display in these pieces as they establish interchanges, break off, and return with new ideas. Ornette Coleman's title track is an astoundingly knotty and energetic lead up to the closing tune, a beautifully quirky "I Loves You, Porgy."  It's difficult for piano trios to distinguish themselves in that most common of jazz formations, but When Will The Blues Leave could have been a defining moment for this unit. Their juxtaposition of lyricism and free improvisation within single pieces, and in real time, is challenging listening, but this elite group of artists have left us with a scrapbook of stunning ideas. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/when-will-the-blues-leave-paul-bley-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Paul Bley: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Paul Motian: drums.

When Will The Blues Leave

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Ralph Towner - City of Eyes

Styles: Guitar Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:29
Size: 163,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:15)  1. Jamaica Stopover
(6:51)  2. Cascades
(6:14)  3. Les Douzilles
(4:14)  4. City of Eyes
(2:36)  5. Sipping the past
(4:26)  6. Far Cry
(3:24)  7. Janet
(5:06)  8. Sustained Release
(4:43)  9. Tundra
(5:36) 10. Blue Gown

Ralph Towner breaks out in more ways than one on City of Eyes. Despite his band Oregon's lagging creative slump and his own obsession with a synthesizer he is only beginning to learn how to "play," Towner cuts some new grooves on this set with an all-star cast. New to Towner's musical universe is drummer/percussionist Jerry Granelli and brass auteur Markus Stockhausen. Even Paul McCandless who has spent the better part of the '80s making new age albums doesn't muck things up this time out. The opener, "Jamaica Stopover," is Towner's freshest solo guitar piece in ages. It's slippery, has a groove, and is actually rooted in both the blues and gypsy swing. The first ensemble piece, "Cascades," sounds a little florid at the outset, but Granelli's percussive ambience is a cure for the rococo melody (it again reeks of Offramp-period Pat Metheny-ism). Towner kicks it into classical gear on "Les Douzilles," before moving into a hot improv duet with Gary Peacock, who believe it plays his bass like a guitarist. The fretwork by Towner and the pizzicato by Peacock are among the most intricate, complex, and purely "musical" duets in recent history between the two instruments. This is where Towner shines, when challenged by a musician equal to, or greater than, his own abilities. The entire ensemble plays together on only three selections, the aforementioned "Cascades," the title track, and "Tundra." On the title track the music shifts modally from one series of chamber jazz timbres to another; mood and tempo relentless move throughout the piece's first five minutes, giving a feeling as if it is a free improv piece one moment and something strictly composed for rhythm and meter the next. Harmonically, Towner pianistically creates intervals that offer shades and colors of ambient-like texture. He extends the musical reach of Peacock's bass role by making it of primary importance to the work's lyrical line and its role in the "free" sections. On "Tundra," the focus is on Towner as musical interloper, connecting each player's lines with his riveting 12-string work. The melody comes from minor, augmented chords. Granelli stays in the pocket, painting over the guitar with bells and chimes, but the others engage Towner separately. Stockhausen's contribution is especially noteworthy, as he punctuates each short guitar line with a long, beautiful phrase that is an extended tonality from that of the guitar. In essence, City of Eyes shows Ralph Towner as a musical explorer again, a composer and instrumentalist who can persuasively create aural travelogues through time, space, and terrain. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/city-of-eyes-mw0000200227

Personnel:  Ralph Towner — twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer;  Markus Stockhausen — trumpet, piccolo trumpet, fluegelhorn;  Paul McCandless — oboe, English horn;  Gary Peacock — bass;  Jerry Granelli — drums, electronic drums

City of Eyes

Saturday, August 11, 2018

Don Ellis - Giants Of Jazz

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:07
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

( 3:31)  1. I'll Remember April
( 6:09)  2. Sweet And Lovely
( 3:42)  3. Out Of Nowhere
( 6:06)  4. All The Things You Are
( 3:43)  5. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
( 4:26)  6. My Funny Valentine
( 4:37)  7. I Love You
( 3:39)  8. Just One Of Those Things
( 4:54)  9. Johnny Come Lately
( 4:19) 10. Angel Eyes
( 3:24) 11. Lover
(10:08) 12. Form
( 4:38) 13. Sallie
( 6:28) 14. How Time Passes
( 4:15) 15. A Simplex One

Before his untimely death in 1978 at the young age of 44, Don Ellis was one of the most creative and innovative jazz musicians of all time. In a career span of less than 25 years, Don Ellis distinguished himself as a trumpeter, drummer, composer, arranger, recording artist, author, music critic, and music educator. However, Don Ellis is probably best remembered for his work as a big band leader. His orchestra, which was active from 1966-78, achieved enormous popular appeal at a time when the influence of big band music was noticeably fading. Ellis's significance lies in his use of groundbreaking musical techniques and devices, new to the world of jazz. Ellis's innovations include the use of electronic instruments, electronic sound-altering devices, experiments with quartertones, and the infusion of 20th century classical music devices into the jazz idiom. Ellis's greatest contributions, however, came in the area of rhythm. New rhythmic devices ultimately became the Don Ellis trademark. His compositions frequently displayed time signatures with numerators of 5, 7, 9, 11, 19, 25, 33, etc. His approach within more conventional time signatures could be equally innovative through the use of rhythmic superimpositions. Ellis's rhythmic innovations, despite much criticism, were not gimmicks, but rather a direct result of his studies in non-Western musical cultures, which included graduate work at UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicolog Ellis ultimately applied his experiences and knowledge of the music of non-Western cultures to the rhythmic language of jazz. He was one of the first to have accomplished such a fusion of ideas, and his works as a composer and an author stand as a memorial reflecting a significant stage in the evolution of jazz. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/donellis

Personnel:  Don Ellis – Trumpet;  Jaki Byard – Piano, Alto Sax;  Paul Bley – Piano;  Ron Carter – Bass;  Steve Swallow – Bass;  Gary Peacock – Bass;  Charlie Persip – Drums;  Nick Martins – Drums

Giants Of Jazz

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Keith Jarrett - Yesterdays

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:23
Size: 172.6 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[ 8:12] 1. Strollin'
[10:12] 2. You Took Advantage Of Me
[ 8:55] 3. Yesterdays
[ 6:10] 4. Shaw 'nuff
[ 7:55] 5. You've Changed
[ 9:01] 6. Scrapple From The Apple
[ 8:18] 7. Sleepin' Bee
[ 8:32] 8. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[ 8:04] 9. Stella By Starlight

Keith Jarrett: piano; Gary Peacock: double-bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

2001 was clearly a banner year for pianist Keith Jarrett and his quarter century-old Standards Trio. Two shows recorded a week apart, have already been released— The Out-of-Towners (ECM, 2004) and the stellar My Foolish Heart (ECM, 2007), where the trio expanded its encyclopedic approach to the standards repertoire to include some serious stride and ragtime chops. Recorded three months earlier, Yesterdays represents yet another high water mark. No matter how well-heeled some of the material is, there's always a unique charm brought to each release in the trio's growing discography. Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette continue to find new ways to respect the material, all the while keeping it fresh—infused with rarified nuance and an ever-present sound of surprise. The relevance of a good song never fades, as long as there are players who can find new ways to explore its full depth and breadth.

The trio's ability to reinvent its repertoire is clearest on Rodgers & Hart's "You Took Advantage of Me," if only because it also appeared on My Foolish Heart—the first time Jarrett has released the same song back-to- back. Eschewing the stride intro from My Foolish Heart for a more harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated opening, it's equally bright, but there's more implication this time around. Jarrett's solo builds inexorably, all the while retaining the deep melodicism that can be heard in the pianist's "singing," as he channels his ideas into sharp reality.

Elsewhere, Jarrett's delivers a solo on Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker's high octane "Shaw'nuff" that starts at a speed train's pace and builds to a conclusion of double-handed unison virtuosity that's thoroughly breathtaking, yet remains acutely centered on thematic construction. Equally thrilling is the series of trade-offs between Jarrett and DeJohnette near the end of the tune, the pair finely attuned, transcending respective motivation for a fundamental and overarching confluence of control and abandon.

As vivid as the up-tempo tunes are, the ballads possess their own compelling vitality, with Jarrett's delicate touch bringing particular sensitivity to the tender "You've Changed," which also features Peacock's most impressive solo of the disc. With a trio this finely honed, it's almost pointless to single out one player who stands above the rest, but while the attention is often inherently focused on Jarrett, in many ways the star of Yesterdays is Peacock. He stretches out perhaps a bit more than usual, delivering another strong solo on the trio's ambling look at Charlie Parker's enduring "Scrapple from the Apple."

With the players often relaxed and functioning without any preconception or expectation, sound checks before a performance can sometimes yield some real magic. A relaxed but subtly profound and meaningful take of "Stella By Starlight," recorded at the sound check to a show a week earlier, is the perfect closer to Yesterdays. This trio may be 25 years old, but Jarrett, Peacock, and DeJohnette are showing absolutely no signs of losing their edge or relevance. ~John Kelman

Yesterdays mc
Yesterdays zippy

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnete - After The Fall

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 105:45
Size: 250,7 MB
Art: Front

(15:49)  1. The Masquerade Is Over
( 8:46)  2. Scrapple From The Apple
( 9:23)  3. Old Folks
(13:17)  4. Autumn Leaves
(10:01)  5. Bouncin’ With Bud
( 8:47)  6. Doxy
( 7:48)  7. I’ll See You Again
( 4:58)  8. Late Lament
( 6:47)  9. One For Majid
( 7:47) 10. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
( 6:41) 11. Moment's Notice
( 5:35) 12. When I Fall In Love

In the year between ECM releases Tokyo '96 (1997) and Whisper Not (1999), Keith Jarrett's iconic Standards Trio returned to live performances following a two-year break. Jarrett's bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome left him physically and emotionally drained, but with the condition in check, his expressive passion and physical enthusiasm return in full force with After The Fall. The two-disc set was recorded at a concert in Newark, New Jersey in late 1998. If it appears that picking familiar selections from the Great American Songbook provided a comfortable re-entry for Jarrett, the fiery improvisations in this session indicate that the trio was ready for a convincing and hard-driving outing. Not many trios could turn "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" into a bebop potboiler that sheds holiday trappings, early on. Disc 1 opens with "The Masquerade Is Over" by Herb Magidson and Allie Wrubel. 

A tranquil introduction is ignited when Jack DeJohnette's accelerated pacing urges Jarrett into a more animated space. The trio doesn't come up for air until near the end of a fifteen-plus minute marathon. The general tone is set for a number of cookers, including John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice," Sonny Rollins' "Doxy" and Bud Powell's "Bouncin' With Bud." The trio offers a white-knuckled version of Charlie Parker's "Scrapple From The Apple" featuring an astounding interchange between DeJohnette and Jarrett. Gary Peacock shines on Pete La Roca's buoyant "One For Majid" and with his extended solo on "Autumn Leaves." The trio include two ballads with one of their staples, "When I Fall In Love," closing the collection. The late ECM releases of Jarrett's 1996 solo collection A Multitude of Angels (2016) and After The Fall with DeJohnette and Peacock are tributes to the extraordinary resilience of the pianist. His pre-sabbatical and return are both marked by a relentless determination to perform with his impeccable and unique approach to improvisation. As for the Standards Trio, After The Fall is a reminder of why and how the now-defunct group redefined the piano trio. An excellent and highly recommended album. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/after-the-fall-keith-jarrett-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Keith Jarrett: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

After The Fall

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Gary Peacock Trio - Now This

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:54
Size: 133,0 MB
Art: Front

(6:41)  1. Gaia
(5:02)  2. Shadows
(5:44)  3. This
(4:34)  4. And Now
(6:16)  5. Esprit de Muse
(5:17)  6. Moor
(5:48)  7. Noh Blues
(4:44)  8. Christa
(4:56)  9. Vignette
(3:59) 10. Gloria's Step
(4:47) 11. Requiem

Some of bassist Gary Peacock's earliest musical associations speak to a career that has been nurtured by unusually well-rounded experiences. Subbing for Ron Carter in gigs with Miles Davis, playing with the Bill Evans Trio and pianist Paul Bley and a stay with saxophonist Albert Ayler provided Peacock with foundations that ran the gamut from main-stream balladry, to conceptually modern jazz to the most unrestricted free jazz. All of which led up to the three-decades long relationship with Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette for which he is best known and where his finely developed skills lend themselves to that highly innovative group. With a very different trio, Now This is often darkly lyrical with a quiet dignity. Drummer Joey Baron who often draws comparisons to Paul Motian has never sounded more like the late drummer with a masterfully subtle touch. Pianist Marc Copland has worked with Peacock in various settings for three decades and is a master of harmonics. His work with guitarist John Abercrombie, saxophonist Greg Osby and bassist Drew Gress have earned high praise while Copland has remained puzzlingly under-recognized as one of the finest pianists and composers on the scene.

"Gaia" and "Shadows" the first to pieces on Now This are brooding and unhurried but are followed by "This" where a bit more dissonance is propelled by Baron's refined but forceful playing. Copland pushes that avant-garde essence as he guides the trio through "And Now," "Esprit de muse" and "Moor" the latter two being faster-paced and more complex numbers. Copland's fascinating composition, "Noh Blues," only hints at blues while providing a perfect backdrop for solos and interesting group interchanges. Throughout the pieces Peacock explores the full range of the bass pushing and pulling the music with him through unexpected turns. There is not a wasted note to be found on Now This where the compositions some re-worked, others, new strongly suggest a portentous air. Peacock, Copland and Baron expertly develop the pieces in that light so that, despite the overriding thoughtfulness, it is never certain in which direction the journey is moving. Now This is an thought-provoking collection rendered by brilliant performers.

Personnel: Marc Copland: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.

Now This

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Gary Peacock & Marilyn Crispell - Azure

Styles: Piano Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:11
Size: 135,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:16)  1. Patterns
(6:18)  2. Goodbye
(5:47)  3. Leapfrog
(3:08)  4. Bass Solo
(9:23)  5. Waltz After David M
(6:38)  6. Lullaby
(2:44)  7. The Lea
(5:42)  8. Blue
(2:27)  9. Piano Solo
(3:40) 10. Puppets
(6:03) 11. Azure

Who leads a project is often nothing more than a matter of optics. Bassist Gary Peacock's name may come first on the cover of Azure, but there's no doubt that this is a collaborative affair, with pianist Marilyn Crispell an equal participant; the two even co-produced the recording, with label head Manfred Eicher nowhere to be found. Peacock and Crispell have worked as a duo for years, in addition to delivering two sublime trio recordings for the label with the sadly departed Paul Motian: the pianist's ECM debut, 1997's Nothing Ever Was, Anyway, and the even more impressive Amaryllis (2002). Still, even those recordings were shared affairs, with compositional contributions from all three on Amaryllis (Nothing Ever Was paid tribute to the music of pianist/singer Annette Peacock). Azure, however, represents the first time the work of this longstanding duo has been documented. Some have suggested that Crispell's more aggressive pre-ECM stance is evidence of artistic constraint by the label, but Azure proves nothing could be further from the truth. Peacock's discography as a leader/co-leader for the label including his landmark Voices from the Past Paradigm (1982) and duo date with guitarist Ralph Towner, A Closer View (1998) demonstrates his love of space, decay and melody. It also suggests a penchant for unfettered freedom, which nevertheless eschews aggression, instead occupying a sparer place where silence is an equal partner. That is no surprise, really, given Peacock and Crispell's shared connection in Buddhism and meditation. 

Crispell's ECM output has, indeed, been similarly predisposed towards the quieter end of the spectrum, but on recordings like One Dark Night I Left My Silent House, her completely improvised 2010 duo recording with clarinetist David Rothenberg, the pianist made clear that oblique strategies remain an essential part of her vernacular. As they do for Peacock. He may spend some of his time mining the Great American Songbook with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette recently on Somewhere (ECM, 2013) but at the end of the day it's all part of the same continuum; it's all just music. Here, the duo opens with Crispell's aptly named "Patterns," its series of knotty thematic constructs played with temporal flexibility by the pianist (in impressive unison, with both hands), acting as a foundation for some jerky interactions with Peacock, but four songs later her "Waltz After Dave M" explores melody in a most personal way; more clearly structured, it shows Crispell and Peacock at their most eminently lyrical and unashamedly beautiful. Peacock's tone is warmer than usual, and on his abstract "Puppets," he delivers a rare arco solo, reaching for the outer edges and pushing through them to a more rarefied space; still, as esoteric as his playing might seem, there's always an inner logic and unerring focus. Peacock returns to pizzicato on the closing title track, one of three completely free improvisations. Paradoxical in its combination of hovering stasis and forward motion, it feels both as structured and thoroughly open as all of Azure's eleven tracks. A long time coming, Azure demonstrates, with pristine clarity and utter transparency, a unique partnership now finally unveiled for a larger audience on the year's most superb and revealing duo recording. ~ John Kelman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/azure-gary-peacock-ecm-records-review-by-john-kelman.php

Personnel: Marilyn Crispell: piano; Gary Peacock: double bass.

Azure

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Gary Peacock - Shift In The Wind

Styles: Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz 
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:33
Size: 123,9 MB
Art: Front

( 6:15)  1. So Green
( 5:03)  2. Fractions
( 8:15)  3. Last First
( 5:51)  4. Shift In The Wind
( 6:56)  5. Centers
(10:01)  6. Caverns Beneath The Zoth
( 5:10)  7. Valentine

Bassist Gary Peacock teams up with the underrated pianist Art Lande and drummer Eliot Zigmund for a set of group originals that emphasize close communication between the trio members, really an extension on the innovations of Bill Evans. The interplay between these masterful musicians is more significant than the actual compositions and rewards repeats listenings. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/shift-in-the-wind-mw0000653451 

Personnel: Gary Peacock (bass); Art Lande (piano); Eliot Zigmund (drums).        

Shift In The Wind

Friday, September 29, 2017

Gary Peacock Trio - Eastward

Styles: Contemporary Jazz
Year: 1970
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:03
Size: 138,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:51)  1. Lessoning
( 6:12)  2. Nanshi
( 8:31)  3. Changing
( 5:28)  4. One Up
(13:50)  5. Eastward
( 6:20)  6. Little Abi
( 9:46)  7. Moor

One of Gary Peacock's rare Japanese-only albums for Columbia really dynamic trio work that's a lot more powerful than the bassist's later sides for ECM! Gary's working here with Masabumi Kikuchi on piano and Hiroshi Murakami on drums in a mode that's got the open-ended, long flowing energy that would emerge most strongly in Japanese trio sessions a few years later a style that's exploratory, but never too free and perfectly suited to the tonal colors that Peacock's always brought to his work on bass. The set is sophisticated, yet never full of itself with a great juxtaposition of lyrical and modern moments, carved out here with a heck of a lot of power! Titles include "Eastward", "One Up", "Changing", "Moor", "Little Abi", and "Nanshi". © 1996-2017, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/759931/Gary-Peacock:Eastward

Personnel:  Bass – Gary Peacock;  Drums – Hiroshi Murakami;  Piano – Masabumi Kikuchi

Eastward

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Gary Peacock Trio - Tangents

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop 
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:11
Size: 129,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:39)  1. Contact
(4:50)  2. December Greenwings
(4:10)  3. Tempei Tempo
(2:29)  4. Cauldron
(5:10)  5. Spartacus
(7:11)  6. Empty Forest
(4:42)  7. Blue In Green
(4:07)  8. Rumblin'
(4:04)  9. Talkin' Blues
(2:53) 10. In and Out
(6:50) 11. Tangents

Considering his nearly sixty-five years of recording, Gary Peacock has been relatively selective in his choice of leader projects. His association with luminaries Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett have put him in the company of jazz history makers. When Jarrett's Standards Trio, with Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, disbanded in 2014 after over twenty recordings, Peacock launched his own piano trio with pianist Marc Copland and drummer Joey Baron. Tangents is the follow-up to Now This (ECM, 2015). Not surprisingly, given their long careers, these musicians have crossed paths before the trio was formed. Baron and Copland most recently played together on John Abercrombie's Up and Coming (ECM, 2017), while Copland and Peacock have collaborated on a number of the pianist's trio releases on the Pirouet label, including Modinha NY Trios Vol. 1 (2006), with drummer Bill Stewart and Voices NY Trios Vol. 2 (2007), with Paul Motian. Peacock contributes five of the eleven compositions on Tangents, with Baron and Copland contributing two and one, respectively. The album also includes the Miles Davis (and/or Bill Evans) standard, "Blue in Green"; a striking version of Alex North's "Spartacus"; and one group composition. "Spartacus," in contrast to the collectively free-improvised "Empty Forest," makes for an effective snapshot of the diversity of styles covered. Beyond that, there is the not-quite-pastoral resourcefulness of "December Greenwings" and the sharply executed, bleeding- edge energy of "Tempei Tempo," with great improvisations from all. At eighty-two years of age, one need only listen to "Rumblin'" to hear Peacock solo like the ageless wonder that he is. In the Tangents liner notes, he embraces a forward-thinking approach to composing at this late stage of his career. Rather than finding a comfortable position, Peacock is much more inclined to experiment with freer forms. He has found empathic partners in Baron and Copland, who he senses as "having the same experience in the moment, feeling the music together." Tangents has to be considered a highlight in the careers of all three artists, as the too-often hyperbole of creative improvisation is exchanged for masterful and unequaled demonstrations of the art and one of the best piano trio albums in some time. ~ Karl Ackermann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tangents-gary-peacock-ecm-records-review-by-karl-ackermann.php

Personnel: Gary Peacock: double-bass; Marc Copland: piano; Joey Baron: drums.

Tangents

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Keith Jarrett - My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux   Disc 1

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:32
Size: 115,8 MB
Art: Front

( 9:10)  1. Four
(12:25)  2. My Foolish Heart
( 6:37)  3. Oleo
( 7:54)  4. What's New
( 7:43)  5. The Song Is You
( 6:41)  6. Ain't Misbehavin'

Pianist Keith Jarrett's career practically invites criticism or, at the very least, intense comment. His outspokenness, his utter seriousness of intent and the resulting love-hate relationship with the audience, even his vocalisms, evoke strong responses, both pro and con, from listeners. As the years have gone by, expectations have continued to rise, almost to the point that no matter what he does, Jarrett will fail in someone's eyes, and My Foolish Heart is no exception. However, the only issue that really matters is this: does he and, by extension, the trio, communicate with and connect to the listener?  ECM has released this double-CD live recording from the 2001 Montreux Jazz Festival as a sort of now-to-then comparison to the upcoming release Setting The Standards: New York Sessions 1983, which will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of this trio in 2008. Any Jarrett release is an event and, when combined with Jarrett's liner notes which talk about how special this performance was, practically promises a revelatory listening experience. Revelation is, however, a very personal thing. Since this music consists of well-known standards the magic, if it is to be found, will not be in new sounds, but in the details of the performance for those who can, or desire to, hear them.

The best jazz is the music of spontaneous, unexpected creation. It requires dynamic energy and concentration plus the seeming contradictory ability to let go, forgetting all the technique and theory and just playing. In this case, what is to be played starts with the tunes themselves, with melody. A standard is labeled as such because its construction has achieved the delicate balance between the melodic phrasing and harmony that creates something unique, and being immediately identifiable and memorable. To treat such a creation as mere changes is to violate its sanctity, and true improvisation will maintain contact, however tenuous, with the source of the inspiration. In this respect, Jarrett is masterful and there is nary a moment on any track when it is not obvious which tune is being played. The changes are respected, but so are the melody and emotional essence of the tune, with Jarrett using the musical language of conventional bebop jazz. 

Bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette, acknowledged masters in their own right, obviously know Jarrett and each other extremely well. Any given performance can vary, but this one does seem to find this rhythm section in top form. DeJohnette's famous energy is controlled but white hot while Peacock, whose solos are short but meaningful, adds a delightful bounce and verve. The trio is playing as one and this is the joy of the performance. The surprise comes with the three stride tunes, "Ain't Misbehavin,'" "Honeysuckle Rose" and "You Took Advantage Of Me," and if anyone was waiting for a reason to gush about this performance, it is here. Place it where you will in Jarrett's discography, My Foolish Heart is true jazz artistry. ~ Budd Kopman https://www.allaboutjazz.com/my-foolish-heart-keith-jarrett-ecm-records-review-by-budd-kopman.php

Personnel: Keith Jarrett: piano; Gary Peacock: double-bass; Jack DeJohnette: drums.

My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux Disc 1

Album: My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux    Disc 2

Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:08
Size: 133,2 MB

( 6:45)  1. Honeysuckle Rose
( 8:54)  2. You Took Advantage of Me
(10:04)  3. Straight, No Chaser
( 6:36)  4. Five Brothers
(11:09)  5. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
( 8:18)  6. On Green Dolphin Street
( 6:19)  7. Only the Lonely

My Foolish Heart: Live at Montreux Disc 2