Jazz
Recorded in Oct 2004 at the Manhattan School of Music, New York , NY
David Liebman-soprano and tenor saxophones
Phil Markowitz-piano
On Manhattan Dialogues, the celebrated saxophonist / composer Dave Liebman returns to the duo format with his long-time musical collaborator Phil Markowitz on piano - in a highly virtuosic October 2004 live set recorded at the Manhattan School of Music. In a breathtaking improvisational tour-de-force, the duo burns through eight originals and two imaginatively re-harmonized standards.
My first exposure to Dave Liebman were the recordings "On the Corner" by Miles Davis, and "Live at the Lighthouse" by Elvin Jones. That's if you don't count a set I heard him play in Southampton, NY in 1969 with one of the first fusion bands, Ten Wheel Drive - I was 16 then. I was always amazed at his intensity and harmonic prowess as well as total assimilation of the whole Coltrane legacy.
After moving to New York, I jumped at the opportunity to go down to the club "Lush Life" on Bleeker Street to hear "Quest". I became a regular down there when they played which was quite often. In 1991, I was really excited to get the call to join his new band. What has transpired has been a post-doctoral jazz experience. "Lieb" has the whole package: brilliant musician, virtuosic instrumentalist, composer, historian, teacher and leader. Our backgrounds are amazingly similar, having both been born in Brooklyn, New York two days apart (9/4+9/6). We share the same fire and dedication to contemporary music, which make us an ideal team.
I feel this recording exemplifies the purest pursuit of the highest levels of playing with no esthetic or restrictive barriers, and because it is live, it's incontrovertible too.
---Phil Markowitz |
