Bryce Rohde Duo Featuring Bruce Cale - Always Come Back Here

All Music Guide

Piano/bass duos are not all that common in jazz. There needs to be both a musical and mental symmetry between the players to make this low-decibel performance work. Some of the more successful collaborations have been Art Hodes/Milt Hinton, Roger Kellaway/Red Mitchell, and the classic This One's for Blanton uniting Duke Ellington and Ray Brown. Bryce Rohde and Bruce Cale, both formerly with the Australian Jazz Quartet, work with a program of original material in a session inventively combining musical skills that are more than sufficient to sustain over an hour by only two instruments. That these two have previously been connected is apparent by their musical meeting of the minds, their oneness of purpose, and their ability to feed off each other's ideas. Previous recordings have established Rohde as a lyrical thinker of note who cleanly executes his melody lines. This reputation stays intact as he and Cale make listening to this album akin to eavesdropping on a conversation between tw...o old friends, so close there's no need to hold back anything from each other. This musical camaraderie is exemplified in such pieces as "Let's Hurry Off (To Some Other Place)." Despite its title, there is nothing rushed here and, like most cuts on the CD (except for an upbeat "Lester Left Town"), it is performed in a calm, almost sedate manner. On "Blue Mountain," Cale takes the lead, kicking off this dreamy, delicate melody, a paean to a natural wonder close to where the bassist was born. On the other side of the ledger, Rohde is by himself on "Darn That Dream." The influence of Bill Evans is quite apparent here. A fine, intelligent presentation by two established, if not well-known, masters of their instruments. This album is recommended. - Dave Nathan, All Music Guide Read more Less