1. How Deep is the Ocean
2. You’ve Changed
3. Blueberry Hill
4. Darn That Dream
5. Meditation
6. Lover Man
7. Lover Come Back to Me
8. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
9. Always
10. Alone Together
Houston Person - Tenor sax
Ron Carter - Bass
I have already
praised on this website a duet album with
tenorist Houston Person joined by pianist
Bill Charlap. Now here is Houston duetting
with one of the world's most renowned bassists:
Ron Carter. This may seem more difficult than
a sax-piano duet, but Ron Carter has such
a full, resonant sound that he easily fills
any gaps. That full tone can be heard right
from the first track - How Deep is the
Ocean, where Carter's sturdily walking
bass accompanies Person's heartfelt solo (as
deep as the ocean) - and then the bassist
plays an equally sturdy solo.
The tempo slows down for
You've Changed, where Houston's soulful
playing is ideally backed by Carter's sensitive
bass. Ron starts Blueberry Hill off
with a countrified rhythm which puts plenty
of impetus behind the tenor sax, and the bassist's
glissandi are a wonder to hear.
And so the album continues,
from one delightful standard to another, with
neither player putting a foot wrong but responding
to one another with the mutual respect that
the best jazz musicians have for one another.
Ron and Houston have been playing together
since the 1970s, united by a love for jazz
standards and also a fascination with words,
leading to plentiful games of Scrabble. This
is actually the fourth duo recording by the
two men - and their togetherness is evident.
Just listen to the way they bring Meditation
to a close: ending telepathically at exactly
the same moment; or the way that Ron Carter
plays the melody of Polka Dots and Moonbeams,
with Houston only filling in the middle eight;
or how the duettists make Always swing
without any help from a drummer.
It is always difficult to know if one has
found the perfect jazz album but I think this
is the real thing.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
HighNote
HCD 7188
