I posted the press release to this album on July 12 so, to save me dishing up a mish-mash of the background to this 1982 Dublin concert go HERE.
Every word that the folk at Livia put out is true. This is more than an excellent guitar album, although it is most certainly that, it's also an album that can stand alongside any jazz recording irrespective of instrumentation or performer.
Stella by Starlight has both guitarists feeding off each other: solos and supportive chords, interchanging roles, dual lines crisscrossing like on a Bach fugue or a piece by the Modern Jazz Quartet.
The next track, 2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West is, as it happens, a number composed by MJQ's John Lewis who actually recorded it with Jim Hall in 1956. Not surprisingly, Hall is on fire with Stewart providing the fuel.
But Beautiful. Jimmy Van Heusen's immortal ballad has been recorded by many great artists and this version is high up in the mix not least due to Stewart's lyrical intro. Only one word for it - beautiful, no buts needed.
If you thought you'd heard enough versions of All the Things You Are to last you a lifetime then think again if you haven't heard this one. Hall gives Louis a rest and plays it slow, exploring the myriad of harmonic possibilities offered by the song's structure. At times it's as if he's playing a duet with himself.
Saint Thomas is described as 'a tour de force'. Certainly is! They have fun with Stewart slipping in a brief quote from a traditional Irish reel The Sligo Maid. It delighted the crowd.
Hall stayed on stage for My Funny Valentine in what was a complex solo arrangement. Once again, when left to his own devices, he turned the tune inside out finding new directions that composer Richard Rodgers could never have imagined possible.
How Deep is the Ocean? Hall and Stewart answered the question with a stunning duo opening that suggested it was maybe as deep as their combined harmonic vocabulary which appeared to be endless.
Another Hall solo feature to finish this evening of Irish jazz folk-lore. Duke's In a Sentimental Mood is one of those tunes that, in the right hands, lends itself to emotional exploration. On December 26, 1982 at the Maccabi Hall, Dublin, it was in the right hands.
This recording was funded by The Arts Council of Ireland ... Lance
* Release date is Sept. 6 (CD, LP, download) but I couldn't wait until then to share my thoughts. Put it on your September shopping list now.
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