Tenor saxophonist
Bruce Eskovitz has concentrated more on his career as a jazz educator then recording as a leader, but his relatively infrequent trips into the studio are quite enjoyable. An earlier quintet session with pianist
Bill Mays produced a terrific tribute to
Sonny Rollins (
One For Newk); this time it is just the two of them in a series of stimulating duets that prove to be musical conversations.
Eskovitz has both a fat tone and a gift for melody, while
Mays consistently amazes with imaginative lines to stimulate the tenor saxophonist. The rich but tense "Invitation," a slowly savored "Like Someone in Love," and a dreamy interpretation of "My Romance" (with an unforgettable introduction by
Mays) are among the brilliant arrangements of standards on the date. They are also equally successful in their approaches to classic jazz compositions, including a buoyant "Joy Spring,"
Charlie Parker's playful "Blues for Alice," and a peppy treatment of
Hank Mobley's "This I Dig of You."
Mays' "Tease for Two" (obviously a reworking of "Tea for Two") is jaunty and a lot of fun;
Eskovitz's two originals salute
Sonny Rollins ("Just in the 'Newk' of Time") and
Lester Young ("Prez"); both works capture the spirit of the honored musicians without resorting to emulating them. This CD is a pure delight from start to finish. ~ Ken Dryden