Gary Moor

This abstract quartet recording by bassist Gary Peacock features Jan Garbarek on tenor and soprano saxes, Tomasz Stanko on trumpet, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The interplay between Peacock and DeJohnette, captured roughly two years before the release of the first Keith Jarrett standards record, is especially interesting. One only wishes the horns weren't so tinny. Highlights include the freebopping "Moor" (a piece that dates back to the early '60s), the lyrical "Ode for Tomten," and the chill-inducing "Voice From the Past."

In 1999, a year after recording the splendid reunion album Not Two, Not One, Paul Bley’s highly innovative trio with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian took to the road with concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. When Will The Blues Leave documents a terrific performance at the Aula Magna di Trevano in Switzerland. Included here, alongside the angular freebop Ornette Coleman title track, are Paul Bley’s “Mazatlan”, brimming over with energy, Gary Peacock’s evergreen “Moor”, Gershwin’s tender “I Loves You Porgy” and much more. All played with the subtlety of master improvisers, recasting the music in every moment.

Disc 1 recorded on April 1 and 2, 1994 at Onkio Haus, Tokyo. Disc 2 to 4 recorded on March 29, 1994 at Pit-Inn, Tokyo.

Gary Peacock shares front-cover billing with Paul Bley on this 1970 session, but drummer Paul Motian is also present on the first five tracks. (Billy Elgart replaces Motian on the remaining three.) There's a curiously straight-ahead, tempo-driven feel to this short and sweet disc, quite unlike the free aesthetic that Bley, Peacock, and Motian put forward when they returned to ECM as a trio on 1999's Not Two, Not One.

The release of the Gary Peacock Trio's Now This celebrates Peacock's 80th birthday. Accompanied by pianist Marc Copland and drummer Joey Baron, the bassist explores compositions both familiar and new. His collaborators also contribute a tune each. "Gaia" first appeared on 1995's A Closer View with Ralph Towner. In the intro to this version, Copland uses his instrument's high register to commence a call and response with Peacock; Baron's use of muted cymbals adds a gauzy texture before the waltz tempo and the lyric commence, adding a new dimension.