This one was released in late November last year but somehow got overlooked during the festivities which is unfortunate as it is quite compulsive listening.
Recorded live in 2012 at the Philharmonie de Paris, it is a beautiful example of two musicians, one sadly no longer with us, in total harmony. Geri, who passed in 2017, displays her prodigious technique effectively but never flamboyantly. The duo are compatible, each one respecting the other without any chordal clashes which are often a potential pitfall when piano and guitar meet.
Strayhorn's A Flower is a Lovesome Thing is deeply introspective with both Geri and Kurt respecting the composer's intentions without loss of their own identity.
Embraceable You pays only passing resemblance to the melody until the closing stages when Geri picks it out very simply in case the audience hasn't cottoned on. However, judging by the well-deserved applause, the French audience did comprende.
Kurt's composition, Simply, is more than that - much more - with a lot of swinging going on and no need for bass or drums.
Ruby My Dear, arguably my favourite track although how can you rate any one track higher than the other on an album such as this?
The album closes with Geri's Open-Handed Reach which serves not just as a reminder of how great a loss Geri Allen was to music - you don't need me to tell you that - but also how fortunate we are that Kurt is still around and you don't need me to tell you that either!
Highly recommended. Lance
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