Record Reviews

ALBER-STROBEL ~ DUET GITAR KLASYCZNYCH (POLISH JAZZ VOL.86 DELUXE) MUZA 1086 (Barcode: 5907783420863) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 1981 Released: 2008 This is the second album by Polish acoustic guitar duo Alber-StrobelFind albums by this artist with guitarists / composers Henryk AlberFind albums by this artist and Janusz StrobelFind albums by this artist recorded a decade after their debut. Years of experience playing together and the process of growing up turned them into a formidable musical unit and this album, although quite similar in spirit to their debut, is much more tight, elaborate and simply brilliant. The material is mostly original on this album, again in contrast to the debut, which was mostly Brazilian music. The duo was quite an unusual phenomenon on the Polish Jazz scene, as they opted for playing in the intimate duet format and completely acoustically, whereas most guitarists opted of course for the electric version of the instrument. They played a mixture of original compositions and well known, mostly Brazilian pieces, composed by the best Brazilian composers. The elaborate arrangements and obvious virtuosic performances make this album an obvious choice for listeners, who love the acoustic guitar and South American flavor in music. Although only marginally Jazz per se, the element of improvisation is very strongly present here and it is one of the best examples of Polish Jazz-World Fusion. Definitely worth investigation and a must for guitar lovers!

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CHICK COREA / HIROMI UEHARA ~ DUET STRETCH 230827 (Barcode: 888072308275) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2007 Released: 2008 We all know Chick CoreaFind albums by this artist loves playing piano duets with other pianists. The legendary recordings from 1978 with Herbie HancockFind albums by this artist are to this very day some of my all time favorite Jazz recordings. Seeing this new album, featuring acoustic piano duets with another favorite pianist of mine, Japanese prodigy Hiromi UeharaFind albums by this artist, really made my heart “jump” for a brief moment, as this was almost to good to be true. I did know these two played live together before, but a whole album and a double one at that – stupendous! The album was recorded live at the Blue Note Jazz Club in Tokyo, and includes, as Chick puts it, eloquently as always: “1 night, 2 pianos, 2 sets, 4 hands, 12 songs, 20 fingers, 176 keys, about 600 people in the audience and thousands of musical ideas exchanging between the two pianist and the audience”. It is exactly that and so much more… Regardless is the song is a standard, a piece written by Chick or by Hiromi, the two have a field day each and every time. The interplay is telepathic, the improvisations divine, the humor obvious and it all makes perfect musical sense and is so beautiful, that I had a marvelous time listening to the album twice in a row, something I almost never do usually. I hope I really don’t have to convince anybody this is superb music. Let me just state that in the last couple of years I have heard so much stupid allegations regarding Hiromi’s “commercialism”, “selling out” and other bullshit, I’m really glad that this album just blows all these baseless nonsense out of the window. Absolutely essential music for body and soul!

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JOHN DANKWORTH ~ DUET FOR 16 VOCALION 6230 (Barcode: 765387623029) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1959 Released: 2015 This is an archival recording by the British Jazz saxophonist / composer / bandleader John DankworthFind albums by this artist and his orchestra. Taken from the BBC vaults, the music collected here was originally recorded during three sessions as part of the BBC´s transcription recordings, which were then broadcasted around the world by the BBC World Service. This particular recording includes spoken commentary in French and must have been intended for the French speaking territories; France, Belgium and perhaps Canada. Apart from the theme which is used as the opening and closing track, the album includes nineteen compositions, which include five Dankworth originals. Rest of the material is either standards or material composed by David LindupFind albums by this artist, who was the staff composer / arranger often collaborating with Dankworth. The orchestra´s lineup includes some of the top British Jazz players at the time, including the new arrival in UK, trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist. The excellent rhythm section comprised of pianist Derek SmithFind albums by this artist, bassist Eric DawsonFind albums by this artist and drummer Kenny ClareFind albums by this artist. Stylistically the music mimics the American Big Band tradition, which was very popular in Britain during the post-WWII period. Therefore the orchestra plays easy swinging music, which is very well executed, but hardly innovative or challenging in any way. Dankworth represents the transitional British Jazz generation, which was deeply rooted in the American tradition and never really moved into the modern Jazz idiom completely, although he was certainly open minded in comparison to many of his contemporaries, and did include a certain element of experimentation in his later work. These recordings are a snapshot of a period when Jazz was extremely popular and even served as dance music to a large part of the population. The popularity, however, demanded that the music would be kept strictly within closely defined melodic and rhythmic boundaries. One the modern British Jazz emerged by the mid 1960s Jazz naturally lost its popularity. Having said all that, this album is still a great fun to listen to and a wonderful piece of British Jazz history, which deserves to be remembered. Dankworth and his orchestra prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jazz can be played by Europeans without any inferiority complexes attached.

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RICHARD FAIRHURST & JOHN TAYLOR ~ DUETS BASHO 49 (Barcode: 832929004926) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This wonderful and criminally little known album by British Jazz pianists Richard FairhurstFind albums by this artist and John TaylorFind albums by this artist presents a series of eleven piano duets performed by the two. The music includes two original compositions by Fairhurst, two pieces co-composed by them both, one composition by Taylor, another one by Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, a two-part piece by Pete SabertonFind albums by this artist and finally a trio of Bill EvansFind albums by this artist compositions. The music is splendidly recorded and offers a true feast to Jazz piano lovers. Separated by a generation age gap, Fairhurst (born 1975) and Taylor (born 1942) are able to bridge that gap without a hitch, playing in perfect harmony both technically and spiritually. Their treatment of the Evans compositions is absolutely breathtaking and manages to preserve the delicate climate and lyricism of the original compositions and yet transform them to a more European Jazz sensitivity. But the entire selection of tunes is brilliant from start to finish and a true delight to Jazz connoisseurs, who might try and guess who plays what, which for a trained ear is not that difficult. The idea of this project was born when Fairhurst was invited to take part in the Steinway Two Pianos Festival in London in 2010 and asked John to join him, and continued when John asked Richard to take part in his 70th Birthday Celebration concert in 2012, which allowed them to collect enough material suitable for a recording session, which resulted in this album. Sadly less than two years after this album was recorded John departed prematurely and the album was released posthumously. Overall this is a classic example of Jazz piano duet performance and the "Art of the Duo" idiom and a beautiful memento of John´s artistry. For the many followers of Taylor´s music this is an absolute must of course, but Fairhurst is also to be complimented on his brilliant playing, which is definitely worthy of being closely followed! A true gem!

Updated: 03/09/2020Posted: 03/09/2020

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VAN MORRISON ~ DUETS: RE-WORKING THE CATALOGUE RCA 888750684424 (Barcode: 8887506844242) ~ IRELAND ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the 35th studio album by Iconic Irish singer / songwriter Van MorrisonFind albums by this artist, recorded with an extended band, which includes a brass section. The album presents sixteen tracks and on each of the tracks Morrison sings a duet with a different vocalist. All the songs were written by Morrison and span his entire five decades long career up to the date of the recording. The songs cover mostly the lesser known material from his extensive catalogue and the invited guests are amongst the most famous vocalist / musicians on the planet, including George BensonFind albums by this artist, Gregory PorterFind albums by this artist, Georgie FameFind albums by this artist, Steve WinwoodFind albums by this artist, Chris FarloweFind albums by this artist, Mark KnopflerFind albums by this artist, Taj MahalFind albums by this artist and others. As the list of the guests shows, the music covers many genres: Jazz, Blues, Rock, Soul and others. Morrison’s vocals are every bit as strong as always and his duets with all the invitees work out perfectly. The rich orchestral arrangements are also perfect and the album is a great opportunity to get familiar with some of the finest, but forgotten songs in his catalogue. Overall, this is another wonderful album by one of the greatest singers / songwriters of all time, enhanced by the vocals of other iconic vocalists / musicians, which offers an excellent collection of songs, which is a great fun to listen to.

Updated: 05/11/2023Posted: 05/11/2023

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