Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner
Toots Thielemans is the arch romantic of jazz, an unabashed melodist who specializes in wringing joy and nostalgia from the most personal of instruments. Here he plays harmonica exclusively, foregoing guitar and whistling to concentrate on his unique ability to execute sophisticated jazz lines on the tiny instrument. He's joined by pianist Kenny Werner, a regular duo partner who's attuned to Thielemans's every nuance and impulse. They explore a moving collection of melodies that ranges from Bach's "Sicilienne" to medleys of songs associated with Sinatra, Michel Legrand, and Disney. When Werner turns to electronic keyboards, as on Bill Evans's luminously reflective "Time Remembered," he's able to provide a surprisingly lush "string" backdrop to support Thielemans's lyric rapture. Werner's also an excellent soloist in his own right, and it shows particularly in the tunes by distinguished modern pianists, like the Evans medley, Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance," and Chick Corea's "Windows."--Stuart Broomer