Windward Passages

This date is a bit unusual. The set of duets by David Murray (mostly on tenor) and pianist Dave Burrell starts out spiritual, with Murray playing quite melodically on the first two pieces. "Naima" begins in the same mood, but the tenorman eventually gets quite adventurous, exploring the upper register of his horn. "Cela Me Va" unfortunately is a bit of a misfire; Murray's wife, Monika Larsson, is primarily featured reading a story, but the leader's tenor is heard throughout the piece and often ends up drowning her out to an extent. The mood of the session changes during Jelly Roll Morton's "The Crave"; the greatly underrated Burrell, whose playing throughout is so complete that one never misses the bass or drums, plays quite rhythmically on Morton's "Spanish tinge" piece and continues the mood on the catchy "Zanzibar Blue." "Conversations With Our Mothers" is the freest performance of the set, featuring Murray and Burrell reacting to each other and building the number up to an intense level before becoming peaceful. The duet date concludes with a second and equally satisfying version of "Naima." Due to the amount of variety in moods and compositions and the close interplay between the musicians, this is one of the better and more accessible recordings of both David Murray and Dave Burrell. ~ Scott Yanow