In the
musical realm of Duocracy, the new CD by trumpeter Ian Carey and pianist Ben
Stolorow, "two" rules. Mainstays on the Bay Area jazz scene, Carey
and Stolorow have released highly regarded albums as leaders but found their
way to the duo format after several satisfying gigs together last year. They
chose to capture their singular improvisational ensemble on record, and Carey's
Kabocha label will release the inventive results as Duocracy on February 25.
"It's
super-naked and that was intimidating at first, especially once the tape
started rolling, but it's also really freeing. On my last album I felt like I
was trying to build something perfect," Carey says referring to Roads
& Codes, an album selected by many critics as one of 2013's best releases.
"This was about going in and enjoying playing with each other, about
playing jazz and seeing what we could come up with, and letting these tunes
shine."
Carey
credits a satellite radio station focusing on recordings from the 1940s with
reigniting his love for vintage pop tunes. Struck by the effortless swing that
was the era's rhythmic default, he and Stolorow decided to keep the duo loose
and limber, unencumbered by involved arrangements.
Ian Carey Ben Stolorow Opening with Walter
Donaldson's lilting "Little White Lies," the pair also includes
Rodgers and Hart's "You Took Advantage of Me," a piece that showcases
Stolorow's gift for melodic invention, and Henry Mancini's "Two for the
Road," a standout Latin-tinged ballad performance that highlights Carey's
gorgeous tone. They co-wrote the album's sole original, "Comin'
Along," an abstract tune built upon the chord changes of Benny Golson's
standard "Along Came Betty." Closing with a pair of enduring
standards, the Gershwins' jaunty "How Long Has This Been Going On,"
and Kern's masterpiece "All the Things You Are," the duo departs in a
blaze of beauty, refreshing the ubiquitous songs with unfussy eloquence.
"We're
drawn to a lot of the same repertoire, lovely mid-century well-crafted pop
tunes," Carey says. "What makes working with Ben so satisfying he is
very into the idea of breaking out of traditional duo roles. There's a lot left
to discover."
Duocracy
is the fourth album for Ian Carey, 39, who previously has written for and
recorded his audacious, highly cohesive working quintet on Sink/Swim (2005),
Contextualizin' (2010), and Roads & Codes (2013). The Binghamton, New York
native earned a New School degree in Jazz and Contemporary Music and spent five
post-grad years in New York City before relocating to San Francisco, where he
has performed with top-notch ensembles like the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra,
multi-instrumentalist Adam Theis's Realistic Orchestra, accordionist Rob
Reich's Circus Bella, and vocalist Betty Fu, which is how he started playing
with Stolorow.
Ben
Stolorow, 37, was born in New York City but had settled in Los Angeles by the
age of 12. In 1994 he moved to the Bay Area to attend UC Berkeley, studying
piano with Bill Bell, Susan Muscarella, and Dick Hindman and before long
joining the Jazzschool faculty. His 2008 debut album I'll Be Over Here, is a
highly interactive trio session focusing on his lustrous originals with bassist
Ravi Abcarian and drummer Greg German. On his 2011 followup with bassist Dan
Feiszli and drummer Jon Arkin, Almost There, Stolorow deals more explicitly
with song forms. The partnership with Carey grew out of their accompanying
Betty Fu, and was fed by their camaraderie on and off the bandstand.
When
Carey moved to the East Bay, just a few miles north of Stolorow, proximity
allowed them to start playing together informally, which led to several gigs at
an art space in Berkeley. "It was really successful," says Stolorow.
"I had this idea to record to see what happens, and Ian felt, if not now,
when?"
The duo
will celebrate the release of Duocracy with concerts at the Jazzschool in
Berkeley on Friday 2/21 and at St. Hilary's in Tiburon on Friday 3/7.
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