Two for the Show

by Ken DrydenDavid Friesen's Two for the Show is a series of brilliant duets featuring the bassist with six different musicians. Not only does he set an incredibly fast tempo for tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker as he introduces Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," but his complex line inspires Brecker to some of his best playing of his career. The perennial favorite "Old Folks" finds Friesen taking a back seat to the brittle, very personalized guitar of John Scofield. Uwe Kropinski sticks to acoustic guitar for his two tracks, including Friesen's adventurous "On the Road With Jazz" and Kropinski's gypsy-flavored "Pianola." "Alone Together" opens with alto saxophonist Bud Shank unaccompanied before Friesen's imaginative bassline weaves in underneath him in a spellbinding improvisation. Friesen's duets with frequent partner Denny Zeitlin are always magical; their two tracks, taken from a 1992 gig at the Jazz Bakery, include the bassist's lyrical ballad "In Times Past," while the pianist's bittersweet ballad "Maybe in Spring" also packs an emotional punch. Their chemistry together, as always, is perfect. But it is hard for anyone to upstage Clark Terry, whose instantly recognizable sound commands attention. Both Terry (on flugelhorn) and Friesen pull all stops on a brisk take of "I Want to Be Happy"; Terry switches to muted trumpet for the understated swinger "Breeze." It is hard to imagine David Friesen and his guests wanting to stop recording after two tracks during each session, because it's obvious that they were having a great time and it would have been easy to imagine an entire CD by the bassist with any one of the artists. Here's hoping that there are still tracks left in the vault for a follow-up release.