1. Intro
2. Thingin'
3. Dedicated to You
4. Luiza
5. Don't You Care to
Know
6. Nancy
7. Blame It on My Youth
8. They Say It's Wonderful
9. I'll Never Be the
Same
10. The Masquerade (Is
Over)
11. Young and Foolish
Brian Kellock - Piano
Julian Arguelles - Saxes
Some jazz writers and broadcasters have made a great
thing about the renaissance of jazz in Scotland, citing such artists
as Ronnie Rae and his multi-talented family, Tommy Smith, Paul Towndrow
and Alyn Cosker. This is nothing new, as Scotland has a long record
of producing fine jazz players, including George Chisholm, Tommy McQuater
and Duncan Campbell.
One of the most highly lauded Scottish musicians is
pianist Brian Kellock. This CD, recorded at The Sound Café, Nine Mile Burn
in Penicuik, puts Brian together with English saxophonist Julian Arguelles
in a series of tracks which illustrate their wide range and talents.
In fact Kellock plays alone on several tracks, including
Antonio Carlos Jobim's slow Luiza; Duke Ellington's Don't
You Care to Know (with gentle stride); and the meditative Blame
It on My Youth and I'll Never Be the Same.
These solo outings make a nice contrast with the duets.
Thingin' is a Lee Konitz tune based on the chords of All
the Things You Are. It starts with out-of tempo meanderings from
the duo before going into vigorously up-tempo improvisation. Julian's
more tender side is shown in Dedicated to You, where he almost
matches the mellowness of Stan Getz.
Irving Berlin's They Say It's Wonderful increases
the tempo again, with Arguelles cheekily inserting a quote from It's
Easy to Remember, while Kellock dances kitten-like on the keys.
The interplay between the two is well illustrated by the contrapuntal
passages, where they respond to one another with brotherly understanding.
Although most of the tunes are jazz standards, the opening Intro
appears to be completely improvised by Kellock and Arguelles.
As with most duet recordings, this one benefits from
the fact that the two musicians support one another with laudable
empathy. And Brian Kellock's solo tracks are evidence of an accomplished
pianist who continues Scotland's tradition of producing virtuosic
jazzman.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
