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Gary Peacock Bassist Gary Peacock played on most of the Ayler sessions for ESP, as well as Lowell Davidson’s sole recording for the label. In the late ’60s, he left music for a while to study Zen Buddhism and subsequently biology, then taught music theory in Seattle. Since 1983 he has been a member of Keith Jarrett’s trio with Jack DeJohnette. Th e first time I played with Albert, I wasn’t really familiar with his music. So he came over, and he just played; that’s how we rehearsed. He was there one afternoon. I was also doing work with Jimmy Giuffre then, and I had been out on the coast with Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons [Th e Cry!, 1962]. Free playing has always been a major interest of mine throughout the years, and I’ve involved myself with several situations of free playing, even with Keith and Jack. But whether it’s free or not, those are descriptions of form, and they really don’t touch the essence. Ornette was, I think, the first one who provided an opportunity for me to look really closely at my cherished ideas about what music was, about tonality, expression, creativity. My understanding of the essence expanded a great deal in the late ’50s. True art is a perennial affair. It transcends all the trappings. It transcends labels; it transcends periods of history. 109 ...

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