El Duelo

A collaboration between trumpeter and the acclaimed clarinetist/saxophonist , 2020's finds the longtime bandmates combining their cross-pollinated musical backgrounds in a pianoless quartet. Technically, the album showcases 's group with bassist and drummer , but the trumpeter has been a member of the Cuban-born 's ensemble since the early '90s, and feels like a celebration of that creative partnership. Born in Argentina, came to wider recognition in his twenties while studying at Berklee School of Music in Boston and Queens College in New York. He picked up Grammy nominations for two of his early solo albums (2003's and 2006's ), both of which displayed his knack for mixing progressive modern jazz with Latin and Argentine traditions. continues in this vein as and bring all of their varied influences together, dipping into introspective modal jazz, dusky tango grooves, and propulsive Latin rhythms. Interestingly, while the choice to work without a chordal instrument like a piano or guitar here evokes a spare, classical chamber group aesthetic, it also opens up the sound of the quartet, allowing more harmonic freedom for the soloists. It's a sound that has taken precedence across the jazz spectrum, and 's group touch upon much it, drawing inspiration from the straight-ahead style of the classic group of the '50s on the breezy "I Know, Don't Know How," and leaping toward the spritely, free jazz harmolodics of the groups of the '60s on "Una Muy Bonita." Primarily, the album falls right in between these paradigms as push the boundaries of their global sound as on the declamatory Afro-Latin groover "The Natural'' and the middle eastern-influenced "Pekin." Elsewhere, 's harmon-muted sensuality is nicely contrasted by 's bright alto sax asides on moody, flamenco-tinged "Libertango." We also get several inventively arranged standards, including a tango-inspired reworking of 's "Caravan" (titled "La Yumba/Caravan"), a supple, flugelhorn-accented reading of 's "Con Alma," and a wry, ballroom dance-friendly take on 's "Stablemates." Throughout , display their improvisational bravura, taking extended solos and sparring with a warm intensity. ~ Matt Collar