Jazz duets can be real risky formats, especially here when there’s no chord instrument like a guitar or piano to serve as a safety net. Drummer Lewis Nash and saxist Steve Wilson make a successful go at it, however emphasizing classic jazz tunes as foundations for conversations. Each get a chance for a solo tune as well, with Wilson’s soprano delivering an aria on “Row Twelve” and Nash making some dust on “Freedom Jazz Dance,” but everything else is impressively accessible. A couple of Ellington pieces, “Caravan” and “The Mooche” meld primitivism with modernity, and Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz” is fun going both inside and out. A pair of Monk Medley’s show Nash having a good time with the sticks dueling with Wilson’s soprano on the first, and serving as a tennis partner for the slto on the second. Bop sounds just right on “Happy House” and even more exciting on “Woody N You” as these gents walk the tightrope like masters of the 3 ring circus.
MCG Jazz Records