While Gary Smulyan and Frank Basile have been on a tear lately with their Boss Baritones band. There’s another baritone duo album recently released. Where Frank and Gary are not just steeped, but perhaps fermented in the hard-bop tradition, this new album features more original composition and some new sounds.
Bryan Cowan and Saul Dautch are both baritonists that have been making NYC their home for the last while. They almost certainly have overlapping influences but have quite different styles.
Their album Downward Current is very well done.
They seem to have found a kin-ship and have formed a band that features them both on baritone saxophone with a chord-less rhythm section (similar to the aforementioned Boss Baritones). Saul seems to have really internalized some of the hard-bop tradition and plays it easily. Bryan clearly has an appreciation for the extreme upper register of baritone (as do I). Their differing styles and indeed often different ranges make it easy to distinguish between them and also keep interested
I assume the title is a subtle nod to their lower pitched passion for the baritone. There’s plenty of two horn writing and arranging as well as ample time for them each to improvise and stretch out. My personal favorite bits are how they start and end the album. The opening of the first track ‘Titles’ is a pleasing swirl of baritonality before some shockingly in tune baritone unison melodies. And the last track, the only non-original, is Ornette Coleman’s ‘Ramblin’ – a great vehicle for their sound and swagger.
Go on, get yourself over to BandCamp and support these young baritonists.
And remember, if you only stream music and don’t support artists – i’m not saying you kick puppies, but I am saying that’s the kinda thing someone who kicks puppies would do.
