Gary Peacock has died

Gary Peacock who played with Keith Jarrett, Albert Ayler and Bill Evans has died aged 85 years. He was one of the most important bassists in jazz from the 1960s until his death.

All you have to do to understand the artistic diversity of Gary Peacock is to play his trio recording Trio 64 (1964) with impressionistic pianist Bill Evans right next to his trio recording Spiritual Unity (1965) with free saxophonist Albert Ayler. It is like two opposite poles in jazz where Bill Evans’ attitude is one of introverted melodic poetry and Ayler’s is one of expressionistic exploration. Gary Peacock perfectly understood both ways of playing and contributed greatly to both albums.

Maybe playing with Bill Evans came most natural to Peacock since he was influenced by and had befriended the great bassist Scott LaFaro who was an important member of the Bill Evans’ trio before his short life ended in a car crash, but Peacock seemed to have the ability to adept to every musical situation as when he recorded Improvisations with Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar in 1962. Peacock had never studied Indian music, but he plays like it. So of course, he found his way in Albert Ayler’s less charted musical landscape as well.

Japan

Another of Peacock’s influences was bassist Paul Chambers who played with trumpeter Miles Davis between 1955 and 1963 when he was succeeded by Ron Carter. Peacock replaced Carter in Miles Davis’ band for a couple of months in 1964. The closest thing to hearing how that might have sounded is the recordings Peacock did with Davis’ young drummer Tony Williams in the mid-1960s. On the album Spring (1966) Peacock plays with Williams, pianist Herbie Hancock and saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Sam Rivers.

Another pianist Peacock had a lasting musical relationship with was Paul Bley. They recorded several albums together from the 1960s to the 1990s. Bley had played with saxophonist Ornette Coleman and he created a similar free way of playing the piano which would become a great influence on pianist Keith Jarrett.

In the early 1970s Peacock became interested in eastern philosophy and medicine and he relocated to Japan where he began recording with Japanese musicians like pianist Masabumi Kikuchi who also would play in the trio Tethered Moon with Peacock and drummer Paul Motian.

Original influences

In 1977 Peacock recorded the album Tales of Another with pianist Keith Jarrett and drummer Jack DeJohnette. All music was original compositions by Peacock, but it became the first recording of this trio which became known as the Keith Jarrett standard trio which stayed together for three decades, touring the world and playing and recording mainly a standard repertoire.

Other pianists Peacock had lasting working relationships with was Marilyn Crispell and Marc Copland.

The best way to understand Peacock’s contribution to the music is of course to listen to it. Included here is a playlist of Peacock playing with Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Albert Ayler, Ravi Shankar, Tony Williams and many more. The list of names alone says you something about Peacock’s musicianship. Most of the songs are originals by Peacock. The last piece is Scott La Faro’s “Gloria’s Step” recorded on one of Peacock’s final albums in his own name. It is a nice tribute from one bassist who fully got to realize his full potential to one who never did but whose influence became lasting anyway.