Virtuoso Elegance in Jazz Review by Vincent Duval, Cornucopia, October 1992

The title of this recording is truth in advertising. Available on CD or tape from Kepler Label, it features Willie Ruff on string bass and horn and Dwike Mitchell on piano. Piano and bass, piano and horn, and horn alone -- not instrumentations expected in jazz, but effective as executed by Mitchell and Ruff.

The intensity of the performance of the first piece, Light Blues, is overwhelming. The virtuosity of both men is on full display -- Ruff walks his bass all over those blues, and Mitchell takes us from the most quietly, subtly executed little turns of phrase to full-fisted, pounding improvisation that left me sitting on the edge of my seat. It's hard to imagine that so much sound and vibrant energy could come from just two men.

Ruff picks up his horn to play the sad, beautiful melody of Ill Wind. This is a lesson in the expressive powers of the horn, a vivid musical description of what nuances of pitch, dynamics, and tone are available. Meanwhile, Mitchell, even as an accompanist, demonstrates a genius for harmonic voicing whose richness leaves one with the impression that he has more than two hands.

Several standards follow. Ruff is on bass again after a solo introduction by Mitchell in I've Got a Crush on You. My Man's Gone Now begins with an accompanying piano part that sounds like the scattering of November leaves. After playing the melody on his own, Ruff leaves the stage to Mitchell for a beautiful piano solo. Ruff and Mitchell give each other plenty of time to work out their own thing, which seems to be an elemental aspect of their partnership. I suspect that they love to listen to to each other as much as they love to play together.

However, play together they do. Ruff plays the bass again for a romp through L.M.E. Horn and piano wend their way together through the lush harmonies of Last Night When We Were Young, followed by I Got Rhythm.

Finally, alone with his horn, Ruff plays a different kind of melody with Hoagy Carmichael's Startdust, which is definitely star quality. Altogether, this is an elegant and exciting recording.

Vincent Duval received his BME from UMass Amherst and teaches music in New Hampshire public schools. The Mitchell-Ruff Duo released another CD, Breaking the Silence, in 2001. Willie Ruff's home page

A Call to Assembly - A review of Willie Ruff's autobiography

Gregorian Chant ... - A review of a recording at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice

Breaking the Silence - A review of CD Breaking the Silence

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