Piano duo gigs either work or they don't! The players have to be on similar wavelengths but far enough apart to avoid a car crash. Barry and Webb met the criteria.
The opening All the Things You was an absolute delight. Close your eyes and this was Johnny S. Bach hitting the Kronenbourg and letting the contrapuntal lines flow! Imagine the MJQ playing in jeans and sweatshirts and you've got it!
Like Someone in Love preceded Sonny Rollins' No Moe which incorporated a few bebop moments. This is turning into quite an incredible session. Who's the better pianist? I don't know, guess I'll have to spin a coin! Here goes - you won't believe it but the coin's landed standing on its edge!
Will plays solo on Prelude to a Kiss. Duke could certainly pick the titles and Will Barry certainly did it justice. Rob Luft provided Tanpura before the two pianists strode - and I use the word advisedly - into Ain't She Sweet.
Amazing! Stylistic borders mean nothing to these two guys - they've got it covered!
I thought I knew all of the standards but, such is the vast diversity of them they are infinite. I'd never heard Beautiful Moons Ago, a song guitarist Oscar Moore wrote when he was with the Nat Cole Trio. It's well worth checking out and tonight's version was just perfect.
Time for a solo by Joe. What would it be? Monk, Duke, Herbie, Oscar? No, he opted to go back to the very roots of jazz piano - Jelly Roll Morton and Mr Jelly Lord! What did I say? Stylistic borders mean nothing to these guys!
To finish off with, the two aces kicked last April into next year with I'll Remember April. Better to remember April like this than the real April when showers were the least of our worries!
Lance
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