Now This is an album by American jazz bassist Gary Peacock recorded in 2014 and released on the ECM label.ECM discography accessed September 19, 2016 It features a trio with pianist Marc Copland and drummer Joey Baron.
Reception
AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars and the review by Thom Jurek stated "Now This is not only an excellent portrait of the bassist in winter -- his abilities undiminished -- but also an exercise in the possibilities of the piano trio in the 21st century". The Guardians John Fordham said "They don’t play like a regular jazz-piano trio, often preferring tentative exchanges of clipped motifs and enigmatic queries to busy collective stretches or straight swing, and with considerable space for meditative individual statements. ...For those who know and love the participants, And Now This is captivating. Newcomers might need to give it a little quality time first".Fordham, J., Gary Peacock Trio: And Now This review – bassist’s captivating 80th birthday set, The Guardian, May 22, 2015 On All About Jazz Karl Ackermann said, "There is not a wasted note to be found on Now This where the compositions—some re-worked, others, new—strongly suggest a portentous air. Peacock, Copland and Baron expertly develop the pieces in that light so that, despite the overriding thoughtfulness, it is never certain in which direction the journey is moving. Now This is an thought-provoking collection rendered by brilliant performers".
In JazzTimes, Thomas Conrad wrote "Now This contains seven Peacock tunes, old ones like “Moor” and “Requiem” and pretty new ones like “Christa.” All are like passing revelations from a Peacock solo: spare, self-contained figures of mysterious expectancy. In his haunting high basslines, melodies linger, dissolve and reappear. As for Copland, he is the right pianist for an album about atmosphere and mood. But his quietude is deceptive. His scattered fragments and his counterintuitive chords create continuous subtle diversions. Baron is also subtle and provocative, and essential as a colorist".Conrad, T. JazzTimes Review, July/August 2015 The Sydney Morning Herald's John Shand noted "Peacock's playing has lost none of its vigour or sinuousness, and his bass has been magnificently recorded. Copland's distinctive approach mingles effervescence and enigma, and Baron plays with something of the same joyous naivety with which Henri Rousseau painted".Shand, J. The Sydney Morning Herald Review, January 9, 2016
Track listing All compositions by Gary Peacock except where noted. "Gaia" - 6:41 "Shadows" - 5:02 "This" - 5:44 "And Now" - 4:34 "Esprit de Muse" (Joey Baron) - 6:16 "Moor" - 5:17 "Noh Blues" (Marc Copland) - 5:48 "Christa" - 4:44 "Vignette" - 4:56 "Gloria's Step" (Scott LaFaro) - 3:59 "Requiem" - 4:47 Recorded at Rainbow Studio in Oslo, Norway in July 2014
Personnel Gary Peacock — double bass Marc Copland — piano Joey Baron — drums
External links short film with Marc Copland and Gary Peacock on Now This, including documentary photography from the recording
References