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Howard Riley: Two is One
ByTwo is One is a near-flawless gem. It finds Riley duetting with himself for the first time in over a quarter of a century. In the studio, Riley improvised nine shortish piecesnone over eight minutesand then immediately added a second piano part while reacting to the playback of the first. The resulting musicwith the first part on the left channel and the second on the rightdoes not sound overdubbed; rather, it sounds like two players, totally tuned into each other's thoughts, improvising together spontaneously, without premeditation. The stimulus and response intertwine so well that without that channel separation, it would be almost impossible to determine which is which.
Riley draws on a vast reservoir of piano history here, so it would be possible to cite dozens of players whom the music calls to mind. The only one that Riley name-checks overtly is Monk on "Osoiretsim not improvised, but based on a Monk piece [clue: reverse the title]. Elsewhere, from the fractured boogie train rhythms of "Doubling to the inside/outside duet of strings with keys on "With Strings, to the restrained melodic beauty of "After the Storm, there is a profusion of rich, varied music here, music to return to repeatedly and often.
Track Listing
Two is One; Closely; Empathy; Second Thoughts; Doubling; Osoiretsim: Hear and Now; With Strings: Unique; After the Storm.
Personnel
Howard Riley
pianoHoward Riley: two pianos overdubbed.
Album information
Title: Two Is One | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Emanem