Russ Lossing & John Hebert - Line Up (Hatology, 2008) ***½

After many recordings together in various line-ups, pianist Russ Lossing and bassist John Hebert finally play the long-awaited duo. With the exception of a piece by Irving Berlin and one by Duke Ellington, this is all new and improvised material by the two musicians. The limited line-up offers great possibilities for both freedom and intimacy, although the music has structure and form, and many of the piece are quite nervous and intense. Some pieces such as "Blind Pig" have a romantic impressionistic quality, but is immediately followed by the abstract expressionistic "Type A", just to illustrate the breadth of scope of the album and the wealth of musical territory both artists want to cover, but mostly within a post-bop environment, and they play well wherever they move, exploring lyrical and rhythmic possibilities, anticipating each other's moves and supporting it. They keep away from fixed themes or melodies, yet the lyricism in the music makes it relatively accessible, certainly when compared to "Metal Rat", his previous album. This is not ground-breaking music, and of course it doesn't have to. What counts here are the interplay between two masters of their instruments, and two artists with a common musical vision, effortlessly bringing a synthesis of piano jazz that spans more than half a century.

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