Duets for two pianos are rare in jazz. In the past, they were mainly confined to bone-crushing trials of strength between boogie-woogie specialists. There’s none of that here. In fact, the whole set is remarkable for the amount of light and space these virtuosi are careful to include in their joint performance. They’ve been working on the duet format for several years, starting with the exploration of some Bill Evans compositions – three beautifully calm and reflective Evans pieces are included here. There are also originals by Fairhurst and Taylor, both individually and jointly, and by Pete Saberton and Kenny Wheeler. Each one is a careful combination of improvisation and structure. Nothing hit or miss about it.
