Partners

Paul Bley had known and collaborated with Gary Peacock since 1962, so by the time this duo session was recorded, one could expect that a certain degree of musical empathy would be in play. And yes, here there is plenty of the give and take of two old friends who do not go along with the mainstream jazz program. Yet one could also call this an album of twin monologues, for ten of the 15 tracks here are solo improvisations for each player, with the five duo numbers interspersed between them. Twice, a pair of Peacock's bass solos form a sandwich around a Bley solo track, setting up a symmetry that is fulfilled by the subsequent duo numbers. Moreover, on the first five minutes of the lengthy duo track "Who's Who Is It?," Bley and Peacock play their passages separately, one after another, before Peacock's free basslines stiffen sufficiently to provide a walking, swinging partner for Bley. As for other duo tracks, the CD opens with a lovely duet bearing the significant title "Again Anew," and they put together a great Latin-flavored workout on Ornette Coleman's "Latin Genetics." The parting shot "No Pun Intended" is a humorous, atonal, avant-garde, extended-techniques adventure at the opposite stylistic pole of the opening track. Without slighting Bley's contribution in the least, it is Peacock who makes the most inventive impression on this disc; his solos sustain high interest throughout -- a tough thing to pull off on the bass -- and his instrument is beautifully captured by the engineers. ~ Richard S. Ginell|