Two names, famous far beyond ECM circles, join forces in a programme of duets. Peacock (born 1935 in Idaho) and Towner (born 1940 in Washington) had travelled very different paths in their respective careers before this collaboration. Peacock was associated with the avant-garde as defined by Albert Ayler on the one hand, and Paul Bley on the other. Towner, meanwhile, was one of the first American improvising musicians to skirt the precipices of ethnic and folk musics, in the course of his work with the group Oregon and in his acclaimed solo concerts and recordings. The bassist and the guitarist do have a few points of history in common, however, not least the fact that each did much to "liberate" his particular instrument from received ideas of its musical role. Peacock was one of the very first musicians to make a persuasive case for the bass as a solo instrument; Towner was really the first to show that the classical guitar could have an effective function in jazz improvising.
In the 1980s, Towner and Peacock had a trio together with drummer Jerry Granelli. This group, augmented by Markus Stockhausen and Paul McCandless, played on sessions for Towner's album City Of Eyes in 1986. Other points of congruence: both bassist and guitarist had working associations with Keith Jarrett. Towner contributed to Jarrett's first album of composed music, In The Light, while Peacock of course was the cornerstone of the Jarrett Trio for decades. But for the purposes of the present record, the most important bond may be a shared affection for the music of Bill Evans: Peacock played with him, Towner was significantly influenced by him, and his spirit seems, periodically, to hover around the sparkling, intelligent tunes on this session.
Peacock is an underrated composer, perhaps because his writing covers such a vast range as to resist easy pigeonholing; he has that rare capacity to write for his fellow musicians and bring out some of their own enthusiasms. Nonetheless, one can't point to a single compositional style that unifies Peacock's work.
Tracklist:
1 Gaya 5:45
2 Flutter Step 5:45
3 Empty Carrousel 5:48
4 Hat And Cane 5:12
5 Inside Inside 5:55
6 St. Helens 1:52
7 Oracle 7:20
8 Burly Hello 5:53
9 Tramonto 6:21
Classical Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar [12-String Guitar] – Ralph Towner
Double Bass – Gary Peacock
Written-By – Gary Peacock (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 8), Ralph Towner (tracks: 4, 7, 9)
