'The world would listen then, as I am listening now'
'To A Skylark' - Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1820.
You'll be breaking out the Alexandrines guaranteed. Makes a romantic - upper/lower case take your pick regardless - middle of the road approach cooler than usual, Together is perfect for indulgent Sunday morning listening to veg out to. Because it is full of exceptionally classy metrical measures, couldn't give a damn whether fashionable or not saxophone and piano solo and duo settings from two straightahead American masters Eric Alexander and Mike LeDonne going the extra mile.
We were won over pretty much straight away but swelled to more appreciation when we got to 'I'm In The Mood For Love' - stopping only to listen to classic James Moody for best model example. The LeDonne intro to his own original 'Lost But Not Forgotten' is also compelling. It sounds like a standard already even on a first listen. His later tune, full of McCoy Tyner-like embellishments as the tune is cued up - the sublime solo piano piece 'Mary' - is also convincing.
Alexander is not to be outdone with his performance on his own tune 'Two in One' which if you are a saxophone fan is the track to zone in on. He plays not ony tenor but soprano and alto on the album which was recorded by Maureen Sickler at Van Gelder's in New Jersey one day last summer. Highlights also include a stop the traffic hugely diverse timbrally a cappella sax version of Vernon Duke 1930s classic 'Autumn in New York'. Alexandrines abound, you don't even need to pause to ponder 'Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?' The proof is everywhere.
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