Firm Roots Duo: Firm Roots
Firm Roots Music

At the risk of extrapolating too much, the duo performances by pianists Chris White and Lara Driscoll on Firm Roots suggest the married couple's Chicago home must be an exceptionally harmonious one. On this debut set, the two complement one another magnificently, each completing and extending the other's phrases while at the same allowing room for individual expression. A major part of the listening pleasure afforded by the release stems from luxuriating in the cozy exchange of ideas between them.

After meeting as students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and forging individual careers, they've now chosen to play together as Firm Roots Duo, the name inspired by the Cedar Walton composition with which the album begins and which even served as the couple's recessional at their wedding ceremony. It wasn't simply that they liked the tune: roots, while invisible, provide the foundation for the growing tree and as such are a powerful metaphor for not only a strong marriage but a healthy working relationship.

In addition to the satisfying dialogue aspect of the performances, the album's distinguished in other ways. The set-list is strong, with White and Driscoll balancing four originals with well-chosen covers, and the sound produced by the two Bösendorfers (recorded live at the Grand Piano Haus showroom in Skokie, Illinois) is itself a treat for the ears. And with the sound mix positioning Driscoll on the right and White the left for most of the record, the listener's able to easily monitor how fluidly the two execute. As one solos, the other provides a stabilizing ground until a deft switch-off occurs and the roles reverse.

The groundwork's beautifully laid by Walton's opener, his melodious and buoyant piece exuding charm at every moment. The pianists' sensibilities not only align with each other but with Walton as the two take to the tune's infectious swing with obvious joy. White and Driscoll uphold the jazz artist's propensity for transmuting popular songs into material of pronounced emotional bearing, in this case “That's What Friends Are For,” written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager in 1986. An album highlight, the setting opens stirringly in rubato mode, the treatment all the better at accentuating the song's yearning melodies. Their rendering is so affecting, you just might forget the familiar vocal version that was a hit decades ago. As winning are their enticing treatments of Horace Silver's “Song For My Father” and Ann Ronell's “Willow Weep For Me,” both given sultry, soulful readings (a smattering of stride even working its way into the latter).

The duo's originals are anything but secondary. The breezy swing of their Brazilian-inspired “Sábado de Manhã” is irresistible, and much the same could be said of the blues-inflected workouts “One Foot First” and “Jalophony.” They're at their lyrical best for “I.P.T.,” a graceful ballad that not only alludes to “Monk's Mood” but also evokes the legend's style in its intro (“I.P.T.” also, interestingly, was the duo's first original and performed by them at their wedding reception).

January 2021