Tuck & Patti: I Remember You

Patti Cathcart's rich contralto, at times earthy, at others ethereal, lifts and lilts with warmth, fluidity and spiritual immediacy. While her readings of the melodies are fairly conservative, her scatted solos over "The Very Thought of You," "A Foggy Day" and "Old Devil Moon," and her bouncy riffing over the intros and outros reveal a fertile imagination.

Tuck Andress' playing combines walking bass lines, midrange chords, chunky backbeats and treble melodies that together create a remarkably lush and swinging ensemble; through delicate variations in volume, plucked harmonics, legato fingerings and a grab-bag of extended techniques, he has developed an original and highly effective style, the ultimate complement to Cathcart's voice. His work on "In a Sentimental Mood," "'Deed I Do," "When I Fall in Love" and "It Might as Well Be Spring" will be revelatory to the uninitiated.

The duo made its first appearance at New York's Blue Note on its 30th anniversary tour. The early set on November 2, 2008 included four songs from the recording, three originals and several covers. "Love Is the Key" opened, with Cathcart on solo vocal percussion. Andress dazzled on Wes Montgomery's "Up and At It" and Carlos Santana's "Europa," and the duo's rendition of "With a Song in My Heart" was so sensitive that it brought audience conversation to a standstill. The audience wasn't the only one enjoying itself—following an infectious scat solo over "Learning How to Fly," Cathcart was overheard to remark, "That was fun, Tuck!"

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