Two and Fro

Another meeting of two souls is chronicled in 'Two & Fro'. A sort of West Coast (CA) meets East Coast (NY) with pianist Debbie Poryes and master-reedman Bruce Williamson putting their heads together on a mix of evergreens, a pair of Jazz staples and an original each. Like Dorothy Leigh and Alva Nelson, these two are no strangers to one another. Williamson was present on Poryes' last release for Origin, 'Catch Your Breath' a quartet date which received a favorable review from Michael Steinman. The reed vet's dexterity on a variety of saxes and clarinets is a nice fit to Ms. Poryes' florid pianistics. While the cover booklet contains thumbnail descriptions of the tunes by keyboard expert Mark Levine, the clear standouts to these ears are a peppy take of the usually balladic "Easy Living" with quasi-stride piano, a slowed down "Moments Notice" with exceptional bass clarinet work, the joyous Bebop of "Sippin' At Bells," and the final tune where Williamson's bass licorice stick sounds almost like a bowed upright bass. As Poryes stated in her booklet paragraph "For me, this creative approach, combined with complexity of the rhythmic feel, encompasses a large part of what makes Jazz special." All I can add to that is a heartfelt amen.