Guitarist Michael Musillami and pianist Peter Madsen waited 18 years to record a follow-up to their well-received 2002 duet album, Part Pitbull. Pictures proves that the time between collaborations has not hurt one iota. Over the course of 19 tracks, the duo displays its innate chemistry, composing prowess and distinctive instrumental voices. Pieces alternate between
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Peter Madsen[/caption]
Musillami works the strings hard, with an aggressive staccato attack and stinging tone that lends the music a real edge. He plays each note with purpose, not just as part of a riff or line, and routinely pushes the music outside harmonic boundaries and into daring terrain. Madsen often works in chordal clusters but can also cut loose with fleet, discordant lines. The two players’ inherent styles fully complement each other. The Promenades add vitality and surprise. They run the gamut — “Promenade 3,” a contentious scrum; “Promenade 5,” a few spare piano notes with long spells of silence; “Promenade 10,” a hyperactive game of catch.
In all, Pictures is an invigorating ride with plenty of swerves — an album full of compelling texture, telepathic interplay, dueling improvisations and badass solos. — Eric Snider