New York City-based multi-reedman
Daniel Carter
brought his alto sax to Seattle to record with bassist
Reuben Radding
shortly after 9/11 occurred. And due to airline baggage restrictions,
Carter
decided to leave his arsenal of horns behind. Alternatively, the artists permeate a sequence of gracefully enacted performances, brimming with subtle inflections and mood-altering thematic forays. They up the ante on occasion, yet this recording features the duo's rather seamless improvisational transitions into various micro motifs along with parallel flows and shifty variations. On
"Refracted Light and Grace,"
Radding
commandeers the pace with nimbly executed walking basslines and poignant arco passages to complement
's alluring explorations. The duo's overriding sense of unity and adjoining musical spirits presents notions of wisdom and oneness. And while there's nothing staggeringly new here -- especially when the listener might consider the voluminous catalog of modern
jazz
-based duets -- this is a most appeasing affair nonetheless. ~ Glenn Astarita