Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver in 1924 followed by Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines in 1928 were probably the first jazz masters to explore the trumpet/piano duo format. Ruby Braff and Ellis Larkins recorded some fine tracks in 1955 and, no doubt, there have been others before and since but, this is the absolute pinnacle!
Ten years ago I heard Roy Hargrove at the Union Chapel and I left worshipping the trumpet player who I thought I'd hear many more times - if only!
He passed in 2018.
I wasn't as familiar with Mulgrew Miller although I'd heard tracks on radio shows and South Shields' drummer, the late Stan New was an avid advocate of the pianist - I should have heeded his words!
Together, trumpet and piano create magic. No drums? No bass? No tenor? Really? I hadn't noticed! To be honest, any other musicians would have been a distraction so perfect is the empathy between Roy and Mulgrew. A bass solo, a sax running the changes or a drummer swapping fours with all and sundry would have completely ruined the ambience between the two players - this is as close to perfection as it gets.
Hargrove's sound is so round and pure, a complete contrast to the strangulated tone of so many modern trumpet players. When I heard him at the Union Chapel I wondered if it was the hall's acoustics that made him sound so good. Now I realise that it was he who made the hall seem so sonically perfect!
Sadly, I will never have the opportunity to hear Mulgrew Miller live although, these two discs were actually recorded live in 2006 and 2007 so that, in a sense, if I close my eyes I'm actually sitting front row at Merkin Hall, NYC or at Lafayette College in Easton, PA and loving every minute of it.
Make no mistake, when the all-time list of modern jazz albums is compiled this will be up there alongside Bird, Miles, Trane and whoever else you care to name - an absolute masterpiece. Likewise, Hargrove and Miller must surely take their place amongst the all-time greats.
Release date for the limited edition 2-LP Record Store Day exclusive is July 17 with July 23 being the drop down day for the 2-CD and digital edition - both on the Resonance Records' label. There's also a 64 page booklet included. If you're strapped for cash, rob a bank, hold up a liquor store, sell your signed copy of Kind of Blue or raid the kid's piggy bank but don't miss it. Lance
Disc 1: What is This Thing Called Love?; This is Always; I Remember Clifford; Triste; Invitation; Con Alma.
Disc 2: Never Let me Go; Just in Time; Fungii Mama; Monk's Dream; Ruby, My Dear; Blues For Mr. Hill; Ow!
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