Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » Piano/Guitar Duos: Anacronics and Quartet

104

Piano/Guitar Duos: Anacronics and Quartet









Sergi Sirvent & Santi Careta
Anacronics
Fresh Sound-New Talent
2007


Pat Metheny/Brad Mehldau
Quartet
Nonesuch
2007




Anacronics and Quartet are twin discs of different mothers. Each one has a guitar/piano duo at its core but differ significantly in conception and execution.

The standards-driven Anacronics, by pianist Sergi Sirvent and guitarist Santi Careta, is the 'purest' in that it features no other musicians or musical effects. This Catalonian duo use straight interpretations of themes as springboards to their improvisations. Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me' sets the tone, with Sirvent's mischievous timing augmenting his dexterity. "Soul Eyes is disarmingly brooding and dark, but the energy and joy brought to Charlie Parker's "Dewey Square is bright, irresistible and infectious. And when Sirvent on piano plays "In Walked Bud he pays tribute not only to Monk but to other great pianists. There are a few missteps: Ellington's "Isfahan sounds forced and self- conscious; Sirvent's "FAM is uninteresting, the duo treading water until the next standard. The duo's take on "Lush Life takes a Barton Fink-type left turn with Sirvent's vocals. Some might find his voice charming; it will drive others to distraction. And the mercurial "la balada del trobador de les esferes is admirable for its intentions but falls short of delivering.

Despite bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, the focus on Quartet is clearly on Brad Mehldau and Pat Metheny. Right away, this album settles into familiar territory, with Metheny's trademark, almost effortless, fluidity and Mehldau's soul of a concert pianist and technique of a surgeon. The pianist's "Fear and Trembling has an edginess perfectly suited to Metheny's soaring high notes and growling low-end distortions. Metheny returns the composing favors to Mehldau with "Don't Wait and "Silent Movie , songs which are melodic, contemplative and tender. The quartet comes back together for "Towards the Light , a tune that brings to mind "Are You Going With Me? from Metheny's fusion classic Offramp.

Having played together before, Metheny and Mehldau know how much space to give, when to come in and when to lay back. This is a by-product of familiarity and respect and the result is excellent.


Tracks and Personnel

Anacronics

Tracks: You Do Something To Me; Soul Eyes; Dewey Square; I Loves You, Porgy; In Walked Bud; Isfahan; FAM; El petit princep i Cadaqués; I Fall In Love Too Easily; Look For the Silver Lining; What'll I Do; Lush Life; La balada del trobador de les esferes

Personnel: Sergi Sirvent: piano, vocal; Santi Careta: guitar.

Quartet

Tracks: A Night Away; The Sound of Water; Fear and Trembling; Don't Wait; Towards the Light; Long Before; En La Tierra Que No Olvida; Santa Cruz Slacker; Secret Beach Silent Movie; Marta's Theme

Personnel: Pat Metheny: guitar; Brad Mehldau: piano; Jeff Ballard: drums; Larry Grenadier: bass.

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.