On CD for the first time, from tapes rescued from a flooded archive and expertly restored, this is a beauty. Recorded in 1977 by a pair of battle-hardened jazz veterans, it’s full of wit, musical sleight of hand and the kind of tough lyricism that grabs you by the ear and won’t let go. Cohn (aged 52 at the time) was a great tenor saxophonist who’d spent much of his career as a successful arranger, while Rowles (59), former Hollywood session pianist and accompanist to the stars, had left it all behind and returned to playing jazz. What they do with six venerable standards and a blues speaks for the dedication and resilience of their whole generation.
