Paul Bley With Gary Peacock

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Pianist Paul Bley and bassist Gary Peacock have an unusually close musical bond, rooted in a common lyricism and a willingness to push outward to new forms. This CD combines two trio sessions that took place six years apart, the first recorded in 1963 with Paul Motian on drums and the second in 1969 with Billy Elgart. The former has the edge, but only because it's one of the classic piano trios of jazz, an ideal blend of empathy and subtly aggressive individuality. No pianist has gotten as far inside Ornette Coleman's music as Bley, and the versions here of "Blues" and "When Will the Blues Leave" are among the best early Coleman covers, with a spiky, tumbling energy and very close interplay. Peacock's own modal "Moor" spotlights his guitarlike lines. Annette Peacock's "Albert's Love Theme" is the most memorable of the later tracks. It's an invocation of saxophonist Albert Ayler, one of (Gary) Peacock's most significant partners, and its spare piano and deep bass seem to resonate to eternity. --Stuart Broomer

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