Duo

Guitarist Charlie Hunter and percussionist Leon Parker have both made names for themselves by producing jazz that is both inventive and invigorating. And while both have done much to redefine the role of their respective instruments--Hunter by recasting his guitar as a bass, guitar, and Hammond B3 organ; Parker by removing himself from behind the kit, taking the opportunity to whack any available surface--the jazz on Duo is bracing in its simplicity and its stripped-down allegiance to the notion of swinging in and all around the groove. Parker and Hunter come off here as the young, groovy virtuosos they are more than the genre-stretching explorers many see them as. But because Duo is so good, so listenable, so finger-poppin' cool, it doesn't matter how the artists are viewed, but rather, that they are heard. And this disc demands to be heard, preferably at substantial volume. Recorded live without overdubs, Duo rushes from idea to idea with boundless energy and enthusiasm. Parker is all over his drums while Hunter's amazing vocabulary of guitar sounds is even more astounding in this pared-down setting. Recommended. --S. Duda