Mad & Eddie Duran - From Here to the Moon [Milestone] (CD)

All Music Guide

Eddie Duran returns to the recording wars with a refreshingly retooled sound -- this time as co-leader with his wife, saxophonist/flutist Madaline "Mad" Duran. By this time, perhaps partially influenced by his wife being a reed player, Duran was tuning his guitar as a B-flat instrument, and this results in a heavier electric sound that gives these tracks a unique texture when he plays rhythm. Mad is a capable bopster on soprano, alto and tenor, and she handles the flute with a breathy tone. On some tracks, Mad and Eddie make a perfectly satisfying music just as a duo, while on most, they use either a bop rhythm section or a welcome return to the Latin and bossa nova rhythms that influenced Duran in the '60s ("Symphony Sid Samba" is especially nice). They make a seamless transition between "My Favorite Things" and "Take Five" - both played in 5/4 time - deliver a rhythmically off-kilter "Don't Be That Way," and a light-flavored Latin number "Quesadillas" is credited to the pair as -- ye...s -- Duran-Duran. This album was originally released on their custom Mad Eddie label and picked up by Milestone in 1999. - Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide Read more Less