Home »
Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Moore & Fred Hersch: This We Know
Michael Moore & Fred Hersch: This We Know
This duo session between two old friends finds both in an expressive mood, leaving the cares of a troubled world behind while they relax with original music and classic themes. Jazz' modern mainstream is on parade here, as pianist Fred Hersch joins clarinetist and alto saxophonist Michael Moore on a program that oozes with flowing, interactive melody. If this musical conversation were transformed into a spoken dialogue, it would be one with martinis on a remote patio with no distractions; there's no room here for the hurried spectacle that takes place on streets and in offices everywhere else. No, Hersch and Moore prefer a mellow celebration of their 30-year friendship.
Monk's "Four in One" moves with characteristic zigzags and when Moore issues a delicate clarinet birdcall, as on "The Sad Bird," Hersch replies with jaunty keyboard flights that excite the air in feathered motion. "This We Know" flows gently through familiar clarinet and piano rivulets. In the same manner that "Milestones" took a previous generation and its followers for a long drive along scenic highways, this title track transports the listener through half a century of jazz. "Lee's Dream" spotlights the alto saxophone in a twisting, hustling affair; the pace is slow but the effect is one of controlled energy. Several Latin American-based pieces fit comfortably in the picture, the pair spinning the spirit of dance into their web of enchantment. Top-notch musicianship from two close friends takes this casual conversation in jazz to fruition; Hersch and Moore know how to tell a colorful story.
Track Listing
Aquellos Ojos Verdes; Bedtime Story; The Sad Bird; Four in One; Spirit of '76; Doce de Coco; This We Know; Lee's Dream; Sandwiches & Brandy; Langrage; Canzona.
Personnel
Michael Moore: clarinet (1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11), alto saxophone (2, 5, 6, 8, 10); Fred Hersch: piano.
Album information
Title: This We Know
| Year Released: 2008
| Record Label: Palmetto Records
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz

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