Famed harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens teams up with pianist Misha Tsiganov for some lovely and lyrical duets as well as a handful of quartet pieces with Oleg Osenkov/b and Willard Dyson/dr to make the sounds varied and rich.
On the quartet pieces, Meurkens gives a folksy feel to “Blackbird” and a graceful “Norwegian Wood” while the foursome sound hip and hep on a tapping “West Coast Blues.” The duets deliver a more cozy atmosphere, as on the lilting bossa “Luiza” and a surprisingly yearning take of “Ruby My Dear.” Tsiganov’s piano serves up some elegant introductions and themes on the modern classical pieces “Scriabin” as a dedication and “Etude Op.2 No. 1” by Scriabin himself. The entire holistic feel of this disc is warm and informal, with Meurkins’ harmonica blowing warm breezes throughout.