| Guitarist (and sometimes bassist) Joe Morris has in “Elm City Duets” a new chapter of his ongoing objective to play with his lifetime heroes: after the meeting with the renowned multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton, resulting in a box with 4 CDs released by the label Clean Feed, here is another duo with a veteran of improvisation: Barre Phillips. And what a wonderful encounter this turned to be! The most magnificent music was created spontaneously by these two improvisers of the finest order, one a much respected protagonist of the current avant jazz scene, the other a cult and historical figure who performed with the greatest, like Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre and Archie Shepp, among many others, released the first solo double bass album ever in 1968, “Journal Violone”, and, with Dave Holland, also recorded the first bass duo LP, in 1971, “Music From Two Basses”. Morris admiration for Barre Phillips is very clear in the liner notes he wrote for this CD, but his playing isn't reverential and passive. What we have here is a vivacious dialogue between two equals, with precious and incisive arguments by both parts. Your record colection will be incomplete without this! |