Gustavo Musso / Francisco Lo Vuolo: Back in Town

Playing in a duo exposes the communication between two musicians. Like a good conversation, there's a chance to get a special level of depth and intimacy. A good conversation with a stranger can make us feel like we have known the person for years, but if the conversation grows stale then the reaction might become estrangement.

Keeping a good conversation alive is all about flow and the ability to listen. To know when to pause and when to react. These are qualities that the Argentinian musicians, pianist Francisco Lo Vuolo and saxophonist Gustavo Musso, possess in abundance.

Their topic of conversation on Back in Town is the great repertoire of jazz, ranging from standards, swing and bop to the hard bop of saxophonist Joe Henderson. Hearing Henderson's famous composition "Inner Urge" without the insistent heavy groove provided by drums and bass is fascinating. Musso and Lo Vuolo cools it down and highlight the melodic intricacy of the composition as their lines dance lightly around each other in the spirit of legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker.

The fugue-like nature of Parker's music is also illuminated on a reading of his classic composition "Confirmation" where they once again slow the tempo down.

While both Lo Vuolo and Musso show superior technical skills, they don't try to impress or interrupt each other. Instead, they concentrate on their musical conversation, telling stories filled with emotion, warmth and an empathic sense of the history of jazz.