Brilliance abounds in his jewel of a find. The chemistry between these two players is evident from the first track, an incredible rendition of Miles Davis's "Nardis." Copland's piano style is very similar to Towner's. Towner is no slouch on the keyboards, either. But, for this date, he sticks to guitar.
The title track, Jobim's "Zingaro," begins as a conversation. Towner's strings utter a phrase, Copland's keys whisper a reply. The conversation gently builds, and the musicians become dancers. A sultry passionate samba ensues. This is some of Towner's most beautiful recorded work.
Two Towner compositions are included. This is the only place I recall finding the upbeat,"Tern.""Jamaica Stopover" gets a great workout here.
Copland contributes three songs, "Goodbye" is stunningly beautiful and features Copland and Towner doubling the melody line in perfect complement. "All That's Left" is a bold and bumpy romp with a nice edge to it. "Snowfall" is a bit sappy, the only weak cut. But, het, how bad can it be? Towner's on it.
A Towner trademark endures with the improvisational peice, Freebop. A real gem. You can tell they are having fun and stretching out.
Another outstanding quality of this recording is the selection of cover tunes. A second Davis compostion, Blue on Green, cowrtitten with Bill Evans receives a lovely treatment. But, the closing peice, Gershwin's Love Walked In is the cut that will really get your head bobbin'. – David Matthews
Tracks
01. Nardis (Miles Davis)
02. Zingaro (A.C. Jobim)
03. Tern (Ralph Towner)
04. Goodbye (marc Copland)
05. Freebop (Marc Copland, Ralph Towner)
06. All That’s Left (Marc Copland)
07. Jamaica Stopover)
08. Snowfall (Marc Copland)
09. Blue In Green (Miles Davis, Bill Evans)
10. Love Walked In (George Gerswin)
MARC COPLAND piano
RALPH TOWNER guitar
Recorded November 1993 at The Studio, New York City
Jazz City Spirit TKCB - 70405