Duo Crispell - Hemingway

'Keys and Sticks', or all the basic ingredients of music: rhythm, harmony and melody. And this with a duo that explores all the corners of jazz. In the impressive album 'Affinities', Crispell and Hemingway wrong-foot the listener time and time again. Hearing is believing - the more one listens, the more one is able to connect with the two musicians in exploring untrodden musical paths. Passion and intuitive dialogue between piano and drums bring out unheard-of and flexible details in the ensemble playing. The bond revolves around alertness and an open mind. Circumscription as a platform for challenge. Everything is possible, provided it is pursued with heart and soul. Harmony and emotion - poignant and bewitching. Crispell is totally at home with the piano music corpus and, in both sublime and unique fashion, integrates all genres. She races over the keyboard, articulating single notes clearly and at speed, producing rhythmic and varied patterns in her chord playing, and creates intense, atmospheric moments through her minimalist note selection. Hemingway unfurls garlands, serpentines and banners, setting to work energetically and powerfully, his drums rustling, murmuring and crackling. He quests for beauty, nuances and dynamic sensitivity. It is not so much a question of time standing still, but rather of the moment being endlessly drawn out.