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| Gary Peacock, Marc Copland & Bill Stewart |
FEATURING:
Gary Peacock - bass
Marc Copland - piano
Bill Stewart - drums |
Bassist GARY PEACOCK is known for his ability to bring melodic and rhythmic freedom into any musical setting, without overwhelming his more structurally oriented colleagues. His groundbreaking work in the 1960's with such innovators as Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Paul Bley and Albert Ayler served as an inspiration for a new breed of musicians who were not content with the traditional roles of time keeping and harmonic accompaniment.
Born in Idaho on May 12, 1935, Gary PeacocK became serious about music at age 13 when he started to play drums and piano. Western swing and modern jazz caught his attention and at age 16 he became a professional musician. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to attend music school, but in 1954 was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany. He played in the Army band during the day and jammed in the evenings, finally discovering his true instrument, the acoustic bass. He took to the bass very quickly and naturally, and upon his Army discharge stayed on in Europe playing and touring with different jazz groups. In 1958, he returned to Los Angeles, playing and recording with Bud Shank, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Don Ellis, Barney Kessel, Paul Bley, Hampton Hawes, Don Cherry, Ravi Shankar and others. But in 1961, ready to expand his musical horizons, he headed to New York.
He recalls, "I knew that music, especially improvised music, did not have to be rooted in chord progressions, constant meter and fixed form." He began the transition from hard bop to freer and more avant-garde music stylings. He came to New. York to learn and jam and was not disappointed. Soon he was playing with Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Jimmy Giuffre, Gil Evans, Tony Williams, and others, before he aligned with some of the most influential players of the era: Albert Ayler, Bill Evans and Miles Davis. In 1963 he received the "New Star Award" in the Downbeat Poll.
Since 1980 Peacock has also played and/or recorded with Chick Corea, Joe
Henderson, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz, Don Pullen, Julian Preister,
Michel petrucciani, Marc Copland, Torhino Horta, and Martial Soler.
In recent years, Peacock's other major collaborations besides the trio with Jarrett and DeJohnette, have included duo tours with guitarist Ralph Towner, and work with pianists Paul Bley or Marilyn Crispell, in either duo settings or in trio with drummer Paul Motian.
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