AMG Review of Scenarios

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

Pianist Andy Milne teamed up with harmonica player Gregoire Maret to produce this intriguing duo session. Focusing primarily on originals and improvisations, the pair make a strong team, both men clearly being virtuosos on their respective instruments. They evidently played a number of duo improvisations during the making of their CD, though they only chose four for their first release together; each of them has a unique character that keeps the listener interested and never wears out its welcome by going on too long. Milne's opener is the well-named "Headache in Residence," dominated by an insistent bass vamp that never lets up. Maret's "As Far as We Know" is a moving ballad that suggests a conversation between lovers. Milne initially sets up Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" as a pastoral ballad, yet the mood quickly shifts with Maret's entrance into a driving romp that is true to the root melody yet finds plenty of new ground. Anne Drummond, known for her work with Kenny Barron, adds background color on alto flute in the pianist's tense "Crystal Labyrinth." Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition winner Gretchen Parlato is added for the haunting setting of Henry Mancini's "Moon River" in which she sings simultaneously at the top and bottom of her range via overdub, in a setting that is anything but traditional. A follow-up meeting is clearly in order.