Richard Galliano & Eddy Louiss - Face To Face

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Richard Galliano & Eddy Louiss - Face To Face

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Face to Face presents two brilliant French instrumentalists in a pairing as unusual as it is inspired. Accordionist Richard Galliano and Hammond organist Eddy Louiss make riveting and heartfelt music together. Their rapport is apparent from the very first notes of Louiss' "Sang Mêlé," played with percussive grit in a grooving 6/4. Thanks to Louiss' basslines, the sound is remarkably full, whether the duo is playing tango, bossa nova, or jazz. The most striking repertoire choice is Benny Golson's classic ballad "I Remember Clifford." It's a revelation to hear this tune -- particularly the ethereal intro and outro -- rendered by accordion and organ rather than the more common saxophone and/or trumpet plus jazz combo. Golson's influence emerges again when Louiss quotes the shout chorus of "Whisper Not" to kick off his solo on "Sous le Ciel de Paris," an arrangement that shifts cleverly between 3/4 and 4/4 time. Other highlights include Galliano's jazz waltz "Amandine" (with a fabulous, airtight ending), Louiss' rousing "Tribute to Joe Diorio," and the sultry bossa nova "Beija-Flor." Together, Galliano and Louiss refresh the senses with a program that is at once jolting, soothing, and fiercely swinging. All Music Guide