Paul Berner & Michael Moore Amulet (Ramboy)

In the early ‘70s, Chick Corea and Gary Burton made a duet record entitled Crystal Silence. With just piano and vibraphone, they bet the farm on intimacy and designed a template for contemplative jazz duos. Almost a decade ago, bassist Skúli Sverrisson and saxophonist Óskar Guðjónsson cut a triumph of the approach, The Box Tree. Its artistry was imposing, but it was the music’s hushed nature that centered the program. Mildly romantic, utterly calm, the interplay glistened. Bassist Paul Berner and clarinetist Michael Moore accomplish something similar with Amulet. These duets are the epitome of refinement, barring all things extraneous. They leave room only for melody, an aside or two, and the chance to absorb the natural beauty of their instruments. Expat Moore, a boomer who has lived in Amsterdam long enough to be considered a veteran of the city’s creative improvising cohort, is a key member of the esteemed ICP Orchestra; he has also recorded a wealth of original albums (don’t miss the most recent by his Fragile Quartet), and, with Jewels and Binoculars, two CDs of Bob Dylan gems. His clarinet work can be as elaborate as it is inviting, but here he plays to one of his strengths: simplicity. Through a curt series of songs, one of our most engaging clarinetists invests in consonance and nods to pith. Bassist Berner, another Netherlands transplant of a certain age, is known for his agility and poise. His rapport with Moore is obvious. Through Louis Armstrong’s “Home,” Nat Cole’s “Answer Me, My Love” and Joni Mitchell’s “Night Ride Home,” a genteel spirit dominates as the exchanges play out. To steal descriptors from each of the participant’s individual liner notes, you can call this one a “heartfelt dialogue.”  

Ramboy Bandcamp

TONE Audio