Wonderful and rich moments abound on this collection of jazz sonatas by tenor saxist Jeff Rupert and pianist Richard Drexler. Jazz duets can be a dangerous road to forge, as it can veer towards boring introspection or cacophonic jousting. This one toes the line extraordinarily well, mixing rich lyricism with just a dash of spice.
Drexler’s strong and melodic hands keep the foundation strong for Ruperts thick and rich tone on the warm “ The Song Is You” while letting the saxist get a bit frisky for some harmonic joys on “Someday.” Rupert’s tone gives a dash of mid period Coltrane, sighing with long tones on “Soul Eyes” and blowing warm passions between Drexler’s excursions on “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes.” Some thick Tyneresque chords did deep on “ Johnny Come Lately,” but the real ringer is the soft floating flower of “Edelweiss” which truly embodies the sound of music. If sound is your allure, you’ll be drawn into this one.