Dave Gelly 

Al Cohn & Jimmy Rowles: Heavy Love review – wit, beauty and lyricism

This 1977 set of duets from a pair of jazz veterans, recently rescued and restored, is to be treasured
  
  

Al Cohn
Al Cohn: battle-scarred veteran. Photograph: Metronome/Getty Images Photograph: Metronome/Getty Images

On CD for the first time, from tapes rescued from a flooded archive and expertly restored, this is a beauty. Recorded in 1977 by a pair of battle-hardened jazz veterans, it’s full of wit, musical sleight of hand and the kind of tough lyricism that grabs you by the ear and won’t let go. Cohn (aged 52 at the time) was a great tenor saxophonist who’d spent much of his career as a successful arranger, while Rowles (59), former Hollywood session pianist and accompanist to the stars, had left it all behind and returned to playing jazz. What they do with six venerable standards and a blues speaks for the dedication and resilience of their whole generation.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*