Believe it or not, this duet between famed drummer Andrew Cyrille and Coltrane-influenced tenor Bill McHenry is impressively accessible. The emphasis is on conversations, and not Wagnerian screaming sessions, as both use tone and rhythms judiciously and wisely.
Cyrille uses various parts of the drum kit, sometimes the cymbals to snap like a whip as on the intro the the frantic “Let Me Tell You This” or rumbling with the mallets on the gently pulsing “Bedouin Woman.” McHenry can deliver warm long tones that call out into the night as on “Proximity” or cry out during the trudging “Broken Heart.” Intricate sax and drum lines create some fun sparks on “Aquatic Life,” McHenry creates some grooving riffs of his own on “Drum Song For Leadbelly” and gets melodic over Cyrille’s clippety clop on “Fabula.” The biggest promise comes on the title of the last song, “To Be Continued…” Can’t wait!
They touring around?
Sunnyside Records