Jack Wilkins

From the opening strains of “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” (by Charlie Parker), Jack Wilkins and Jimmy Bruno set the stage for an exciting display of wonderfully crafted jazz guitar by two of the finest players on the current scene. They begin with a tasty and free-floating interchange of single-note lines that play off of each other beautifully. Their superb interplay, which continues throughout each of the duo and quartet selections, demonstrates not only each artist’s individual technical command of the instrument, but also the respect they have fore each other as they allow creativity without any confusion of ideas.

Some of the duo tracks included are classics such as “One Note Samba,” “Perdido,” and “Broadway.” The accompaniment offered alternately by Wilkins and Bruno masterfully supports the soloist, and it is obvious that you are listening to two good friends who enjoy playing music together. The similarity of their overall style and phrasing provides a continuity and flow of improvised musical lines that appear to have been created by the same mind. “There Will Never Be Another You” begins with a terrific contrapuntal display and develops quickly into an exciting up-tempo presentation complete with chordal and walking bass-line accompaniment by both players.

The solo rendition of “In the Wee Small Hours” shows Wilkins as a thoughtful and sensitive musician in addition to his obvious capabilities as a straight-ahead, high-energy player. The rhythm section of Phil France on bass and Patrick Illingsworth on drums provides solid support on all trio and quartet tunes. Bottom line: This CD is one that definitely should be included in the collection of any listener who appreciates interesting harmonies and pure, swinging jazz.