by Jeff Tamarkin
Billy Taylor was already in his early seventies and Gerry Mulligan not far behind when the pianist and baritone saxophonist performed together for the first time in a series of 1993 dates at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh, PA. The two had been close friends for years, though, and their on-stage meeting has an aura of inevitability about it: there's a symbiotic relationship at work here from the first moments that only grows tighter as the program moves along. By this time, each musician had half a century of experience behind him, accustomed to working in any number of diverse configurations, but together they keep things loose and easy here, not looking to prove anything to anyone -- only to enjoy each other's company. Working with drummer Carl Allen and bassist Chip Jackson, Mulligan and Taylor largely stick with the standards, playing them straight-ahead and unadorned, yet injecting each with a sense of tenderness and integrity. There's a palpable sense of mutual respect as they trade riffs on tunes that, in less capable hands, would just sound old and tired. Duke Ellington's &Come Sunday,& Johnny Mercer's &Laura,& and the classic &Body and Soul& are all spacious and bluesy, Taylor bringing a moodiness to it that Mulligan is all too happy to feed off. The opening &Stompin' at the Savoy& is a chipper, midtempo romp setting a good-time mood that never dissipates, and the set's two originals, Taylor's &Capricious& and Mulligan's &Line for Lyons,& are dramatic swingers that give the band and its soloists a chance to open up and blow, without getting carried away. Mulligan only had a little more than two years left, and although he and Taylor never left more of a mark as partners, it's a good thing that this superb, thoroughly enjoyable survives.