Was it really this easy at one time?
Though both pianist Mulgrew Miller and Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson (NHOP) have left us, their sound and style is timeless. Here, at a 1999 concert in Copenhagen, they deliver a series of melodice duets, mostly interpreting the Duke Ellington songbook in a way that shows the eternal qualities of both the composer and performers.
The two have fun on a playful read of “Just Squeeze Me” , with Miller in an exquisitely dreamy mood on “I Got It Bad”. NHOP takes his bass to the upper register on “Solitude” and a meditative “Come Sunday” while having a fun jaunt as he bops along on “Pitter Patter Panther”, the only tune that is a repeat from Ellington’s own Blanton tribute with Ray Brown. The two swing like a pendulum on “C Jam Blues’ and are dressed to the 9s for “Sophisticated Lady”. NHOP’s own “OD Blues” has Miller in full fisted form, while Miller’s “Blues In The PM’s” have the team dig a hip groove. Everything here is done between 3-5 ½ minutes, so they say it clearly, concisely and with class. This is why you love jazz.