Gotta admit it; I’m a sucker for jazz duet albums. Maybe it’s because I was weaned on the old recordings by Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang as well, but there’s something about the immediacy and intimacy of the genre that makes it timeless.
Here, we have Elsa Nilsson playing the flute, alto flute and bass flute in tandem with pianist Jon Cowherd on a collection of their tunes, and the interplay and melodicism is inspiring. Cowherd’s own “Baltica” and “Blessings” are rich musings that flow like a spring stream. Nilsson is able to go arm and arm with the pianist for some wonderful journeys on “Same Trees” and the buoyant “How to Keep Moving, How To Stay.” Pastoral moments float like cirrus clouds on “With a Smile” and “Distant Drum” and there is ne’er a nanosecond of wasted space or New Age introspection here; everything has a purpose and texture, moving along like clever conversations. Check this one out.