Famous Jazz Duets - Chick Corea And Gary Burton / Carla Bley And Steve Swallow DVD

By packaging concerts by two of the genre's most celebrated musicians and distinctive partnerships together on Famous Jazz Duets, the Arthaus label has given jazz experts something to celebrate and newcomers the chance to hear just how mesmerising this level of musicianship can be. Pianist and composer Chick Corea has been working with Gary Burton, perhaps the only world-class vibraphonist there has ever been, since 1970. This is a partnership founded on instinctive artistry. Captured here in a 1981 concert at Tokyo's Yubin Chokin Hall, they play a totally entrancing... set of Corea's pieces. Highlights are several delightful "Children's Songs" and the concluding composition, "La Fiesta", in which they take turns to work magic with the overlying melody. Most contagious of all is the sheer, simple delight they obviously take in each other's work. Pianist and sometimes singer Carla Bley has been a major participant in the modern jazz world, both as an artist and mentor. Playing here with bass specialist Steve Swallow in a 1988 concert, she is an intriguing and compelling figure to watch; intense and hypnotic, her compositions command undivided attention. And this partnership's treatment of the traditional spiritual "Soon I Will Be Done with the Troubles of the World" is an emotional tour de force. They can ham it up too, as "Very Very Simple" shows. On the DVD: the 4:3 picture format provides standard video quality totally in keeping with the 1980s production standards of these concerts. Don't expect the stagecraft to match the artistry. But the PCM Stereo is ideally suited to what are, after all, intimate performances in the sense that, while these partnerships are sharing their talent with large audiences, they are also clearly playing for each other's enjoyment. No extras are included except good, detailed booklet notes.--Piers Ford [show more]

Read More