Bill Carrothers - Duets with Bill Stewart (1999)

Recorded in 1999 and released on the Birdology label, this duo session brings together two veterans who share a desire to create unique music every time out. Here, Bill Carrothers is 37 and Bill Stewart is 35. They're at a point in their careers where creativity and tradition have been united by a desire to move the music forward. Hence, familiar melodies and consonant harmonies are woven into impressions of the world around us. Dreamy afternoons coexist with spurts of charged lightning. Civil War memories sit side by side with some of Monk's best. Both artists explore a large array of textures and timbres. The pianist's hands control string vibrations, as the drummer's hands dampen his set. A standard, swinging arrangement of “Taking a Chance on Love” soon develops into conversant fours that move further and further toward the edge. With a return to the song’s head melody, the duo proves that modern jazz needn't go past that point. No screaming or squawking here: just sincere creations that invoke a sense of adventure. “Puttin' on the Ritz” swings with a driving intensity that brings both artists’ around full force. No coffee required. “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” settles down with subtle passion and subdued nighttime impressions. Their “Death of a Cigarette” rounds out the session with a heapin' helping of the blues. Two trailblazers in the jazz world, Bill Carrothers and Bill Stewart continue to shape today's worldwide approach to the music we love. ~ Jim Santella, AAJ. 

Birdology Records, 8573-80065-2; 1999
Recorded & Mixed 10th-11th June, 1999 at Creation Audio, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Musicians:
Bill Carrothers - Piano
Bill Stewart - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Drum Prelude {Bill Stewart} (2:22)
02. Alone Together [For Peg] {Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz} (6:13)
03. Off Minor {Thelonious Monk} (5:58)
04. I Apologize {Al Goodhart} (3:15)
05. Squirrel's Tale {Bill Carrothers} (6:20)
06. Vito {Bill Carrothers} (5:27)
07. Vito's Dream World {Bill Carrothers} (3:00)
08. Taking A Chance On Love {Vernon Duke} (4:58)
09. Tenting On The Old Campground {Public Domain} (5:08)
10. Puttin' On The Ritz {Irving Berlin} (7:00)
11. Death Of A Cigarette {Bill Carrothers} (6:21)
12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square {Eric Maschwitz} (4:19)
13. The Whiffenpoof Song {Tod B. Galloway} (2:49) 

Total Time: 63:12 

Credits:
Producer - Bill Carrothers
Executive-Producer - Jean-François Deiber
Recording & Mixing - Steve Wiese
Mastering - Lynn Peterson
Photography - Peg Wigen
Liner Notes [English] - Thierry Pérémarti