Joe McPhee / Jeb Bishop - The Brass City

Label: okkadisk 12025 | Condition: New | Description:

McPhee was to turn his back somewhat on brass after this astonishing tour de force. Brass duos are pretty rare in the canon, but this one sounds as straightforward and idiomatic as saxophone and piano or trumpet and organ, with Bishop providing much of the harmonic foundation. McPhee includes both soprano saxophone and valve trombone but concentrates for much of the time on pocket cornet, and tight, terse sound similar to Don Cherry’s. Most of the record is taken up with a suite of dance exercises for two horns, but there are also tributes to Tom Guralnick, and a delightful nod to Roswell Rudd in the oddly spelt “Rozwell Incident”. Touches of distortion here and there when the horns are playing forte, but generally speaking the sound is very good.

— Richard Cook & Brian Morton, The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, fifth edition