Quick: how many female trombonists can you count on one hand? Not too many, to be sure. may not be a performer, per se, but on this recording she presents a remarkable collection of freely improvised duets (some -tinged) with pianist , with whom she forges a special bond. The opening is the highlight of the album, with sputtering forth with splendid technical skill. Elsewhere, she experiments, applying her technique to the vagaries of the pieces, offering fascinating takes on sometimes simple melodies. On for example, the trombonist's muted excursions fascinate, while on the disjointed phrasing sets the listener on edge. rarely engages in extended techniques and neither does , though, to be sure, each is well versed in the vocabulary of the . The trombonist's bombastic interpretation of incorporates the advances of by using vibrato, growls, flutters, and gruff low tones to make her points. and perform as a single purposeful unit, with an extraordinary synergy. If the music sometimes tires, it has little to do with the imaginative ; sometimes the compositions are simply uninteresting. The kernels are there, though, for something more, and it is not difficult to imagine doing something even more adventuresome, perhaps with a larger ensemble. ~ Steven Loewy