Anyone who has every witnessed the torrential solo performances of Dominican Republic piano maestro Michel Camilo might assume there wouldn’t be much room on stage for an equal partner, but his partnership with flamenco guitarist Tomatito has been compatibly maturing for almost 20 years. On their third album, they wind discreetly around each other on romantic themes such as the octave-pinging Agua y Vinho, and dance gracefully together on willowy Spanish love songs. But more memorable moments come on the slow strut of Erik Satie’s Gnoissiene No 1, two beautifully paced Morricone pieces from Cinema Paradiso, and Django Reinhardt’s signature theme, Nuages, which is imaginatively unfolded in soft guitar chords and slowly striding piano swing. Chick Corea’s Armando’s Rhumba prances like a troupe of dancing exclamation marks, and releases mercurial improvisations from both participants. At times, these two virtuosi sound almost too comfortable together, but their obvious pleasure in their work admirably compensates for it.
