CD: An Evening With

Here the French accordion master, whose fingers fly over the keyboard with acrobatic ease, making the instrument weep in melancholy or jubilate with joy. There the American bass instance, whose low tuned strings ennoble more than 2500(!) recordings. Two who have long since attained heroic status in their own world and can actually only lose if they enter each other's terrain

Believe me, there's nothing truer than going on stage with a gambler, Carter enthuses about the refreshed liaison with his Gallic pal. The two rediscovered the once lost thread in March 2016 at the Jazz Woche in Burghausen as a small intermezzo during a joint performance with the WDR Big Band. The preliminary highlight was then the recording in the Theaterstübchen in Kassel on October 29. Galliano remembers: "Before we started, I said to him: You can see: 27 years have passed, we are still the same and I still play the same accordion. To which Ron replied: "And we still have the same fingers!

With these 20 nimble tools, the two protagonists of the musical joint venture move towards each other without fear of contact. No one remains in his ancestral position. Like two fearless alpinists, they balance above the yawning abyss and perform daring maneuvers, jumping into each other's breach again and again. The longer the intimate wanderings full of subtle nuances and subtle, dance-like elegance last, the greater the familiarity seems to become

Four Carter compositions, four pieces by Galliano, a solo for each: nothing has changed. Richard really seizes every rhythmic and harmonic opportunity, the American wonders about his French partner. And he counters gallantly: Ron still looks as young, fresh and smart as he did three decades ago. And he is still enthusiastic, uncomplicated and gets straight to the point. Rarely has an often thoughtlessly used image been more fitting than on this very special evening: Ron Carter and Richard Galliano create a universal musical language whose vocabulary consists of notes. A risk-free pleasure.