Search - Eddie Daniels, Roger Kellaway :: Duet of One (Dig)

Excellent addition to his body of work

James A. Vedda | Alexandria, VA USA | 06/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It takes a superb pairing of musicians and the right choice of material to produce a jazz duo album that the discriminating listener will find not only appealing, but intriguing. That's exactly what you have in these tracks, recorded live in March/April 2005 (but not released until early 2009). This is more than a mere rendering of four old standards and six original tunes. The arrangements - if one can use that term when discussing the largely improvised performances of two players - give the artists a chance to shine individually and together. They display many faces, sometimes within the same tune.

As always, Eddie Daniels shows how the clarinet can be sweet and articulate in any part of its range. Roger Kellaway knows how to lay out a strong but subtle background, and when to charge into the lead. Both artists leave no doubt that their seemingly telepathic interplay comes from many years of collaboration.

A few highlights: The 11-minute version of "I Want To Be Happy" starts out free-form and evolves into a nice medium swing, including a touch of humor as the musicians throw a three-note motif back and forth at various points in the piece. "New Orleans," "Blue Waltz," and "Love of My Life" are shear beauty. "We'll Always Be Together," one of Eddie's originals, was previously recorded on his "Beautiful Love" album, but he breathes new life into it to make us want to hear it again.

Paquito D'Rivera, another outstanding clarinetist, provided some nice liner notes, although you may need to squint a bit to read the small print. The only thing I don't like about the package is the cover art, which consists of a portrait of a sitting man with his face smudged out. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying these tracks over and over."