Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Instinct implores me to flee when I spot more than one piano on a stage. Multiple pianos are almost always a terrible idea. I was incensed when Jay McShann’s elegant simplicity was diluted by fellow keyboardist Ralph Sutton at a concert decades ago. And I’m still traumatized by an ill-advised tribute to Phineas Newborn Jr. featuring pianists Donald Brown, Geoff Keezer, Harold Mabern, Mulgrew Miller and James Williams.
Less is almost always more, but I’m making an exception for How to Turn the Moon. The new album of piano duets features Marilyn Crispell in the right channel and Angelica Sanchez in the left channel. Heard through speakers, the album alternates between dynamic blasts of righteous skronk and quiet meditations on entropy. The distinct sound field revealed by headphones offers a far more nuanced experience.
The thoughtful interactions aren’t limited to 166 keys. The musicians probe the guts of their pianos on “Space Junk” and sound as if they’re tormenting harpsichords on “Ancient Dream.” While tracks including “Windfall Light” and “Free In Web” brush against jazz, most of the improvisations on How to Turn the Moon are entirely free from swing. Crispell and Sanchez’s vanquishing of my fight-or-flight impulse may compel me to reconsider all of my ingrained musical biases.