CD Pas de deux – In memoriam Eugen Cicero Ruth Juon (voice) and Eugen Cicero (piano). available exclusevely at http://www.visionofparadise.ch or at Vision of paradise, Rütibohlstrasse 38, 8135 Langnau am Albis, Switzerland.
The Romanian jazzpianist Eugen Cicero was exceptional in many ways. Disposing over a tremendous technique he was well up in all styles of jazz as well as in classical music. His improvisations on themes of classical composers are as legendary as his numerous jazz recordings (for example in the quintet with Toots Thilemans) with which found great successes in Europe and Japan.
In 1982 Cicero, who died much to early, and the Swiss singer Ruth Juon met. A prolific and intensive time of making music together followed and soon the poetic and lyrical ballads of the Great American Songbook became an important part of their repertoire.
The CD «Pas de deux» with standards by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Michel Legrand amongst others shows a small cross-section of their collaboration and documents a chamber musical mastery of two unmistakable stylistic artists.
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Ruth Juon's sensitive voice sounds wonderfully soft way up to the highest range and fits with an exceptional diction and a perfect phrasing ideally to the music. To listen to Cicero's playing is a pure pleasure, his ingenious interludes and his stylish rhythm feeling belong to the highlights of this recording.
Because both of them perfectly master the chamber musical interplay of serve and lead, a feeling of melody and accompaniment never arises; this admirable synergy makes this CD so special.
The booklet text says well put: «The connoisseur will keep this CD in a favorite spot». There is nothing to be added, except that this beautiful recording is available at the above-mentioned source exclusively.
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