The Mitchell-Ruff Duo - Strayhorn: A Mitchell-Ruff Interpretation (1971)

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The Mitchell-Ruff Duo - Strayhorn: A Mitchell-Ruff Interpretation (1971)

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Although Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff have worked together as a duo for decades, their recordings have been sporadically available, including these early-'70s sessions first issued by Mainstream. Their program focuses exclusively on the works of Billy Strayhorn, who was so impressed with their performance at the now defunct Hickory House that he wrote "Suite for the Duo" specifically for them. Mitchell's solo interpretation of "Take the 'A' Train" is a virtuoso affair that suggests Oscar Peterson at times. Ruff's majestic French horn, with beautifully held long notes, is the centerpiece of "Passion Flower." The aforementioned "Suite for the Duo" is unlike anything else in Strayhorn's vast output, beginning with a strident prologue featuring French horn and piano, including a middle segment with a complex blues piano theme, and finishing dramatically with Ruff returning on French horn to join Mitchell. The flip side of the record focuses exclusively on well-known Strayhorn works, with a gorgeous solo piano arrangement of "Chelsea Bridge," an unusually slow but effective piano/French horn duet of "U.M.M.G.," a playful miniature of "Rain Check," and a haunting take of "Lush Life," the latter in which Ruff's French horn steals the show. While a few of these tracks have been compiled with various reissues of a 1971 concert by the Mitchell-Ruff Duo with Dizzy Gillespie, the full album has been unavailable since the demise of Mainstream. Highly recommended.

by Ken Dryden, allmusic

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The Mitchell-Ruff Duo - Strayhorn: A Mitchell-Ruff Interpretation (1971)

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The Mitchell-Ruff Duo - Strayhorn: A Mitchell-Ruff Interpretation (1971)

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