1997
Just Duet

1. But Not For Me 4:43
2. Canto de Ossanha 5:56
3. Time to Say Goodbye 4:39
4. Powell's Prances 3:48
5. Romance (Schumann) 5:13
6. Bag's Groove 5:52
7. Belinda 6:25
8. Old Folks 6:13
9. I Mean You 4:03
10 .Willow Weep for Me 6:40
11. Hi Flutin' Blues 4:24
12. Home 3:48

Bill Cunliffe - piano
Holly Hofmann - flute

Classical and jazz come together when the duo of Holly Hofmann and Bill Cunliffe perform. Whether presenting a jazz standard with classical overtones such as Bags’ Groove and George Gershwin’s But Not For Me, or when jazzing up a serious piece such as Baden Powell’s Conto de Ossanha, the pair includes ample amounts of the elements which distinguish both genres. Carefully executed melodies, precise dynamic levels, and well-worn harmonies sit side by side with improvised “fours” and toe-tappin’ rhythms.

Hofmann’s early training and experience includes a bachelor’s degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music and a master’s in music from the University of Northern Colorado. Similarly, Cunliffe’s education includes study with Mary Lou Williams at Duke University and a master’s degree from the Eastman School of music. But both artists have settle in Southern California and have dedicated their careers to jazz performance. The flutist has headlined a quartet at New York’s prestigious Village Vanguard with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Victor Lewis. Cunliffe worked with Buddy Rich in the mid-80s, the Clayton-Hamilton Big Band, and has been very active on the Los Angeles scene.

With the song’s lyrics sitting prominently at center stage, Cunliffe and Fogmann perform the ballad Old Folks expressively and with a balanced approach. Monk’s I Mean You highlights the quirky bebop lines and sudden stops we’ve all come to know and love quite well. Robert Schumann’s Three Romances, originally written for violin and piano, is performed straightforwardly and in the classical tradition. Cunliffe’s compositions Belinda and Home are deeply sensitive pieces, creating pensive moods quite different form the driven bebop on the other tracks. Bags’ Groove and Willow Weep for Me portray the fluid jazz flute in a forceful manner with intensity and power emanating from both instruments. Their arrangement on the latter tune is charged with excitement and contains several changes in tempo; it’s clearly the session’s high point. Recommended.

–JAZZ NEWS, July-August 1998, Jim Santella