A gem.
joemacktheknife | East Hampton, NY | 04/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Duets are the jazz equivalent of a trapeze act without a safety net, especially when they are between a horn player and guitarist. Sans bass, sans drums there is a danger that the texture will seem thin. Even the great Joe Pass was reduced to routine plinking and plonking when he made such a record with tenor player Zoot Sims.
But the guitarist Howard Alden and the tenor saxophonist/ clarinettist Ken Peplowski surmount that problem with ease on this lovely recording.
It's been a long time since these two virtuosi recorded together, and to hear them join forces on a generous helping of duets is a rare treat.
This is a very special, fluid listening experience.
They know the value of restraint. Their series of duets is a gem, generating a true sense of intimacy and never lapsing into predictable, jazz-by-numbers exchanges.
The track listing is as diverse as anyone who has heard them live would expect.
Peplowski has seldom sounded more airy and buoyant; even more impressive is the way that Alden constantly shifts from rhythmic strumming, through counter-lines, floating chords and unison passages.
Together Alden and Peplowski seem to somersault through musical space, no safety net required.
Both men may be rooted in swing, but their tastes range as far afield as Bud Powell's sprightly "Tempus Fugit" and the gentler contours of Bill Evans's "Very Early".
Peplowski's clarinet timbre is unfailingly warm and dark; when he switches to tenor sax, as on "Sammy Cahn" and Jule Styne's "The Things We Did Last Summer", he conjures up memories of that arch romantic.
My favourite tracks: "Very Early" and "Panama"."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1