New York City-based multi-reedman
Daniel Carter brought his alto sax to Seattle to record with bassist Reuben Radding shortly after 9/11 occurred. And due to airline baggage restrictions,
Carter decided to leave his arsenal of horns behind. Alternatively, the artists permeate a sequence of gracefully enacted performances, brimming with subtle inflections and mood-altering thematic forays. They up the ante on occasion, yet this recording features the duo's rather seamless improvisational transitions into various micro motifs along with parallel flows and shifty variations. On "Refracted Light and Grace," Radding commandeers the pace with nimbly executed walking basslines and poignant arco passages to complement
Carter's alluring explorations. The duo's overriding sense of unity and adjoining musical spirits presents notions of wisdom and oneness. And while there's nothing staggeringly new here -- especially when the listener might consider the voluminous catalog of modern jazz-based duets -- this is a most appeasing affair nonetheless. ~ Glenn Astarita