For improvising musicians, the duo is the most intimate of set-ups. Two musicians, alone together, reaching out and responding to the other in the moment, create a glorious frisson. In the right hands, the result is honest and revelatory music.
In jazz there is a minor but noble subgenre of piano-sax duos (think Paul Desmond/Dave Brubeck, Wayne Shorter/Herbie Hancock, Dave Liebman/Richie Bierach), and particularly of European pianists duetting with American saxophonists: witness alto sax player Lee Konitz's absorbing exchanges with French pianists Martial Solal and Michel Petrucciani.
Mark Turner, an American tenor saxophonist, bears some comparison with Konitz's inventiveness and with the economy of expression of Konitz's close associate Warne Marsh. Turner is one of the most respected of the current crop of jazz tenor players, with an innate musical intelligence allied to a rare modesty, but the Ohio native's output to date seems to be in inverse proportion to his talent.
Where most pushy young saxophonists are out there, well, pushing, Turner has been a more serene presence on the scene, choosing collaborators carefully and giving each his full attention. He has held some high-profile gigs, including an extended stint with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, and the Fly trio which he co-leads with Jeff Ballard and Larry Grenadier is a starry affair. But Turner has yet to receive the sort of attention his signal talent deserves.
His association with rising French pianist Baptiste Trotignon dates back to 2008's Share (Naïve), an energetic quintet date recorded in New York. The mutual respect fostered then comes to a different kind of fruition on Dusk Is a Quiet Place, with the duo equally sharing composing and production duties.
Trotignon is a revelation, inventive and sympathetic, but it's Turner who turns Dusk into a masterpiece, stretching out into the sonorous harmonic space created by his companion with quiet authority.
Winter Solstice, written by Turner composition and bookended by gorgeous readings of two Bach choral pieces, is the album's standout track and as life-affirming a duo performance as you'll hear all year. naïve.fr
