Not Two, Not One

1	Not Zero: in Three Parts / Gary Peacock 9:35
2	Entelechy / Gary Peacock 2:05
3	Now / Gary Peacock 4:36
4	Fig Foot / Gary Peacock 0:58
5	Vocal Tracked / Gary Peacock 5:43
6	Intente / Gary Peacock 5:22
7	Noosphere / Gary Peacock 5:43
8	Set up Set / Gary Peacock 7:05
9	Dialogue Amour / Gary Peacock 6:18
10	Don't You Know / Gary Peacock 8:09
11	Not Zero: in One Part / Gary Peacock 6:57

Barnes & Noble

Talk about not giving an inch. Pianist Paul Bley, drummer Paul Motian, and bassist Gary Peacock are as tough-minded about free jazz improvisation as they were nearly 40 years ago when they first started to play together. Each has gone his separate way at times and played all manner of music over the years, but occasional reunions find them investigating uncompromising terrain. In their case though, uncompromising doesn't mean devoid of swing and beauty. Bley, Motian, and Peacock are detail guys --they think as much in terms of tonal quality and melodic space -- as in, what not to play -- as they do in terms of ensemble interaction. If this sounds like heady stuff, it can be. But on the lyrical ballads "Noosphere," "Dialogue Amour," and "Don't You Know" the atmosphere takes on a poetic, even romantic quality. And on "Fig Foot," with the threesome cutting loose on a swinging groove, the rhythmic friction turns positively joyous. Long may these three reunite -- jazz can always use their nerve. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

Like a good wine, Paul Bley seems only to improve with age. Re-united with bassist Gary Peacock and percussionist Paul Motian (their last recording together for ECM was made more than two decades earlier), the trio revisits the quirky "Fig Foot," and explores colors, moods, and even a touch of blues on a set of all original compositions. Bley is especially effective exploring the lower sonorities, while Peacock's full-sounding bass throbs with joy. Motian is characteristically exquisite, his soft, layered, sensitive strokes prodding his colleagues. None of the pieces drift, as these three masters contribute a mature perspective that comes from varied experience. Remarkable interplay, chamber-free harmonies, and loose improvisations add up to some special sounds. ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide